Guardian of the Chosen One
by Alto Shipping Fan
Summary: XD-385, a bioweapon created by Team Aqua and Team Magma, who Is now known as Neo, and the guardian of the Chosen One and his Mate. Now Neo must help Ash take down Nightmare to save the world!. Will Neo be able to protected Ash and Latias? or will he fail? Read to Find Out! [story is mainly focused on Ash and Latias instead of mostly Neo] (Alto Shipping)
1. Prologue

**This story was written by XD385**,** and was originally posted on AGNPH Fics. I have brought it here to fan fiction for other people to enjoy. ****Also this story has not been and won't be edited or changed from the original version.**

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**_And if anyone of you comes across a story that you would like to be brought here to FanFiction then just pm me the name of the story and the name of the site and I will bring it here if I like it._**

**_And last but no least R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**

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_**Guardian of the Chosen One **_

Deep in the Hoenn region, inside a well hidden laboratory, scientists in the employ of Team Aqua and Team Magma worked around the clock to complete a great undertaking, a task that had been underway for nearly two years and had put the lives of many team members at risk during the operation for gathering the right materials. The project had finally been stabilized and completion was imminent. All the scientists were optimistic, nervous, or just hoping that the project would be canceled at the last minute, before the specimen could be "activated". The latter had taking part in creating Mewtwo and had lived to regret it. They, more than anyone, knew the dangers of creating something like Mewtwo after nearly being killed by him. What made them even more nervous was the fact that this specimen was 385 times more lethal and could mean disaster for the entire planet if it went berserk, maybe even for the entire universe!  
As the scientists were making final checks, Team Magma administrator Tabitha entered the room. "How much longer until the bioweapon is complete?" One scientist replied, "It should be ready for combat training in two days." Tabitha asked, "Have you programmed his cells to take on a human form?" The scientist shrewdly remarked, "See for yourself." He pointed to a stasis tube that Tabitha had failed to notice. Inside, submerged in culture fluid, was the body of a seemingly ordinary 13 year old human boy with an oxygen mask on his face, just to be safe. Tabitha thought to himself, "If this goes according to Maxi's and Archie's plan, then there will be no reason to keep fighting each other. Team Magma and Team Aqua will disappear and in their place, Team Gaia will be born!" It then occurred to him that the bioweapon may not be complete. He asked the scientist, "By the way, have you found Deoxys yet?" The scientist shook his head and replied, "I'm afraid not. Deoxys is not from this planet. It is very likely that there isn't even one on Earth right now." Tabitha sighed, "Oh well. The loss of one specie won't make much of a difference with this thing. Leave the Deoxys DNA out and proceed as planned." Tabitha turned to leave, but stopped short of the door. "What's wrong?" asked the scientist. Tabitha replied, "I almost forgot. What is the name of our bioweapon?" The scientist thought for a moment. How would they identify it? It then hit him, "XD-385." Tabitha grinned, "It's aptly named." He then gave a serious look at the scientist and said, "Actually, there is something that must be done before it is activated. Since it will be used to seize control of all capital cities in the world, it is very likely that we will meet some military resistance. We need you to run a virtual simulation of its combat abilities in order to make certain that no military force on Earth can stop him. The fate of the Earth's environment depends on how well we understand the powers of XD-385. Understood?" The scientist replied quickly with, "YES." Tabitha left the lab to report the progress to the Team leaders, Maxie and Archie.

"385 species... We have spent far too much time gathering the DNA to fail now." Tabitha muttered to himself.

However, unbeknownst to the scientists, XD-385 had been "online" for the last minute and was completely aware of what was going on around him. Even without opening his eyes, he could "see" his surroundings using his mental powers. He then saw that the scientist that Tabitha was speaking to had begun running a virtual combat sequence on a computer nearby. He was working with just diagrams a virtual wire frames and the like, but XD-385 could see into the virtual world and watch as if it were a 3D movie. He saw himself completely surrounded by some of the most advanced military weapons on the planet in the middle of a heavily populated city. He could not understand why this virtual simulation had "him", that is, a virtual copy, on the verge of being crushed by military weapons and soldiers. All at once, the soldiers and automated weapons opened fire on him. From Gatling guns to tank shells to chemical dispensing grenades, every known modern weapon was fired at him. When the smoke cleared, XD-385 stood completely unharmed, surrounded by shrapnel and bullets. Now it was his turn.  
He began trembling violently while a distant hum was getting steadily louder. A large, very translucent dome of yellowish energy was being drawn to him. It kept getting smaller and smaller as it closed in around him. When it touched his body, there was a sudden bright flash and loud boom, followed by a massive Explosion! XD-385 was temporarily blinded by the flash, but regained his vision a moment later. When he opened his eyes, countless human corpses littered the cities' ruins and nothing but destruction could be seen for miles. XD-385 was mortified. He realized that the humans who had him created were going to use him to cause mass death and destruction! His mind withdrew from the virtual world back into his body. "No...I will NOT be an instrument of death!"  
One of the scientists thought he heard a cracking sound as he approached his colleague at the computer. He spoke up, "Do you hear something?" Before his colleague could respond, the stasis pod behind them shattered, spilling the culture fluid all over. XD-385 took a few steps out of the ruined pod and glared at his creators. One of the scientists who had witnessed the birth of Mewtwo was frozen with fear, he knew what was about to happen.  
With a massive telekinetic strike, XD-385 sent all the scientists against the walls and damaged the machinery in the lab. This, consequently, set off an alarm throughout the base. Tabitha had just finished his report when the alarm went off. Maxie shouted, "What set it off?!" Archie responded, "It came from...no...it can't be." In the lab, XD-385 spared the badly shaken scientists and made a dash down the corridor. He heard security guards coming his way and ducked into the nearest room, which happened to be a laundry room. It was then that he took the time to notice he was nude. Thinking it wouldn't be proper to run around in the nude, he grabbed the nearest set of clothes and put them on, hoping they would fit. When he examined himself in a mirror, he found that the clothes were a perfect fit. The clothes were a prototype Team Gaia uniform, having features from both Team Magma and Team Aqua uniforms and was green, but lacked a symbol. It seemed that they hadn't decided on a design for Team Gaia's symbol.  
Thinking that he was perfectly disguised, he stepped out of the room, only to be incapacitated with sleeping gas. When he awoke, XD-385 found himself carefully bound to a wall with bands made of a strange purple energy that hurt when he struggled against them. Behind a glass barrier were the most highly ranked Magma and Aqua members, including the leaders, arguing amongst themselves. Apparently, they thought that the other team had sabotaged the project. The argument was settled when the topic about what to do with him was brought up. Maxie said, "His power is far beyond anything we have ever known. It's too dangerous to keep him here!" Tabitha replied, "I suggest we bury him in the ocean so no one can get to him." Archie then demanded, "It would be best to send him into space where he will be a threat to no one. I also have a way to make sure that he'll sleep forever." They all agreed on Archie's suggestion. Shortly afterwards, XD-385 was placed in a sphere shaped pod which was then filled with water, and then frozen. All entry points were sealed and, with stolen rockets, the prison capsule was launched into space.  
After being set into Earths' orbit, a few pieces of the outer shell came lose, letting in the void of space. With constant exposure to the freezing void, the ice would never melt. XD-385 would remain in a cryogenic slumber for eternity. Or so it was thought. A few months had passed when the capsule collided with a surprisingly large piece of space junk. This altered the capsules' orbit. In minutes, it was falling through Earth's atmosphere, toward an area of the Hoenn region where three children and a teenager were preparing their evening meal at a campsite...

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**Chapter End Notes:**

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended, and is applicable for all consecutive chapters that follow.


	2. Friend or Foe?

The sun had begun to set in the Hoenn region and in the opposite direction, the stars could be seen. Brock was cooking soup for dinner, Max was checking the groups' route on the Pokenav, May was admiring her Contest ribbons, and Ash was just staring out into space with a melancholy look on his face. A few days ago, he had earned his 6th badge, the Feather Badge, from Winona. It was typical of him to rave for a few days straight about earning his next badge, but the day after the Gym battle was unusually quiet. Ash hardly spoke at all the following days and even began skipping meals, which was VERY odd since he was known to be a big eater by anyone who knew him. Not even his best friend Pikachu could cheer him up and begged May to do something to lighten his mood. At least, he tried. May harbored feelings for Ash and was pained to see him like this.

She casually approached him and trying to sound like she was talking to no one in particular, she said, "Would you look at those beautiful stars! Oh, that one makes me want to make a wish."

This seemed to get EVERYONES' attention, as all four of the others looked to the sky. Brock spoke, "Well, why not?" Silently, they all made a wish. (I hope to get a girlfriend someday!) (I wish that I will discover a new specie of Pokémon!) (I want to win my next contest with flying colors!) (I want Ash to feel better.) Ash made the mistake of saying his wish out loud, "I wish she was here." Everyone stared at him, making him realize what he did.

May was about to say something when Brock spoke up, "Uh, guys? Why is that star turning red?" Max replied, "It must be a meteorite. They look like fireballs when they enter Earth's atmosphere." Ash looked up and his face went pale with horror. "Th-that meteor is coming right for us!"

Everyone went into a panic when they saw that the red star was getting steadily larger and ducked into the woods nearby. A moment later, there was a loud impact as the meteor barely overshot the campsite and "bounced" about half a mile down the road before coming to a stop. Ever the curious one, Ash led the team to it to check it out.

When they got to it, they found that the meteorite was made completely of metal and was surrounded by a puddle of water. "It looks like a part from a satellite." Max said. Brock let out a groan, "Does this mean my wish won't come true?!" May gave him a funny look and said, "Probably not." Max approached the pod and managed to climb onto the wreck. A large gash on the top allowed him to look inside. With a flashlight in hand, he began searching the inside. "There's nothing but ice in here. It must have been a cooling tank."

Out of the corner of his eye, Max thought he saw something move. He aimed the flashlight to it and saw something that seemed to be the same color as his own skin. Suddenly, an eye opened and stared directly at him! Max tumbled over backwards and ran back to the group while screaming in terror. When he reached them, he hid behind Brocks' legs.

May yelled, "What happened?!" Max stuttered, "Th-th-there's something in there, a-and it's alive! WAAAAAHHHHH! THERE! IT'S CLIMBING OUT!"

When the gang looked at the pod, they were shocked to see what seemed to be a human hand reach out and grab the edge of the gash in the pod. What slowly climbed out, much to everyone's' disappointment, was what appeared to be some guy who did not seem much taller than Ash. He was heavily encrusted with ice and he slipped right off the smooth top, falling flat on his face.

Ash gave a weird look at Max and said, "THAT is what you were so afraid of?" Max's face turned red. "I swear! Something stared at me with a Sapphire blue eye! There's no way a human could survive being frozen like that!"

The gang heard a strange sound and noticed that Pikachu was growling deeply. He seemed to notice something about this stranger that no one else could. When the stranger climbed to his feet, Pikachu blasted him, without warning, with a Thunderbolt!

Ash was stunned. "Why did you do that?! He wasn't hurting anyone!" Brock shouted, "Wait a second, Ash. I don't think he was hurt." Ash looked and saw that the stranger had been de-iced and only seemed a little wobbly. He also noticed that he had a hood covering his head and all his clothes were green.

May shouted, "Sorry about that! Are you OK!?" There was no response. Instead, he lowered his hood, revealing his face. His eyes were sapphire blue and his hair was ruby red.

When he saw the children standing ahead of him, his first thoughts were, (Humans? Am I back on Earth?) He looked down and saw a Pikachu glaring at him. (He knows. I can change my appearance, but not my scent.) He then sensed human biosignatures 100 feet to his right, in the forest. He could also sense a Meowth with them. (Great. Have they found me already?)

Listening in, the stranger heard what sounded like the Meowth talking in English, "Hey Jess, that guy's looking dis way. You don't think he knows we're here, do ya?" A woman's voice replied, "Of course not. Now keep quiet, or he will hear us!" The stranger replied, "Too late! Now get out here! All three of you!"

Ash and the gang looked towards the area that the stranger had yelled at. Ash said, "All three of them? Don't tell me. It's..." Before he could finish, two humans dressed in white uniforms and black gloves and boots with a red R on their shirts and a Meowth jumped from the forest into view.

"Prepare for..." Before the woman could say anymore, the mysterious stranger said, "I don't care how you planned on finishing that sentence, but I do want to know what you want from me." Jessie looked pretty steamed that she had been cut off so early in saying the motto. May smirked, "Two words. It's a new record!" Jessie shouted, "Don't think I didn't hear that, twerp! Now hand over Pikachu, or this is going to get ugly!"

The stranger stepped between the two groups and faced Team Rocket. "Look. I can tell you guys are common criminals. I have no respect for your kind, but I'm willing to let you go. Now scram." Team Rocket looked at each other and laughed. The Meowth laughed, "Ha, the redhead don't know what he's up against!" James followed, "Yes, I suppose it would be best for us to show what a mistake it is to stand in the way of Team Rocket! Just remember, it's your funeral, twerp!"

"Go, Seviper, Dustox!" "Go, Cacnea, Chimecho!" As usual, Cacnea gave James a prickly hug when he was released. The stranger looked on with a smirk, (If that Cacnea likes that human that much, he must be very kind to him. Guess he's not so bad after all.) Ash got his attention and said, "Don't worry. We can handle them easily! You should get out of here." The stranger replied with a cold stare, "Actually, YOU should get out of here. I can fight on my own." Ash couldn't believe what he just heard.

"But..." The stranger faced Team Rocket and took a fighting stance. "Seviper, Poison Tail!" As the Seviper closed in for the strike, the stranger had a revelation. (Darn. I don't think I should reveal myself to these humans. I'll just have to fight like one.) He tried lifting his feet to run, but found that they were pinned to the ground with needles! Dustox had used Poison Sting to pin his boots to the ground. The Sevipers' Poison Tail slashed him across the chest and he responded with a fake shout since it really didn't hurt at all. "Looks like we have him against the ropes. Now then, Chimecho! Hold him steady with Disable!" The Chimecho lifted him into air and held him three feet off the ground.

James grinned, "See? You're all bark and no bite. Cacnea, use Needle Arm and send him into that!" The stranger looked to where James was pointing and saw a large rock formation. Cacnea was hesitant, but started winding up for the punch. As Cacnea prepared to slug him, Jessie made one last statement, "Let this be a lesson to you: don't make threats unless you can back them up!" With that, Chimecho released his mental grip on him and Cacnea slammed the stranger hard.

"GWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The stranger screamed as he was sent flying towards the rock formation and, to Ash and co's. horror, crashed right through it, causing it to bury him as it collapsed around him.

Ash was furious. "You... You guys went too far! You didn't have to kill him!" Jessie laughed, "He was just an obstacle that needed to be removed. It was his own fault for putting his nose where it doesn't belong!" Ash reached for the Poke ball that contained Grovyle, but stopped abruptly.

Max shouted, "Come on, Ash! Aren't you going to battle them?!" Ash slowly replied, "Did you guys... feel that?" Everyone noticed what he was talking about then. The air had become heavy. Just then, flocks of bird Pokémon flew away from the area in droves, as if they were fleeing a natural disaster. Max said grimly, "They're all flying away from this spot. That's NOT a good sign."

Everyone's gaze landed on the collapsed rock formation that had become the strangers' tomb. A low rumbling sound was coming from the formation and was steadily getting louder. Large cracks started to appear in the larger chunks. Suddenly, with a deafening roar, the tomb was obliterated! In the center was the Stranger, who stood unharmed. He was also surrounded by a red swirling aura. When he looked ahead at the two groups, they were shocked to see that his eyes had become the same shade of red as his hair! What was more; they were filled with an intense bloodlust.

"Hmph! Back for another burial, huh? Guess some people don't know when to stay down!" Jessie followed up with an order, "Dustox, finish him off with Poison Sting!"

"Duuuussstox!" The Dustox sent a flurry of poisonous darts flying at the stranger. Max exclaimed, "He's not running! He'll get hit!" The stranger coolly held out a hand as if to stop the attack. When the needles closed in, a powerful gust of wind blew them all right back at Dustox!

"TOOOXXXX!" Dustox was pinned to a tree with his own Poison Sting attack! Everyone stood there with their mouths hanging open in disbelief. This guy had stopped, no, REFLECTED a Poison Sting attack back at the user just by holding out his hand!

Jessie spoke up first, "Who, wh-what ARE you?!" The stranger grinned wickedly and replied, "What does it matter? I'm going to rip you guys apart."

With that said, the stranger raised his arm up and fired a stream of fire at the helpless Dustox! Jessie reacted quickly and returned Dustox to his Poke ball. The tree, however, was incinerated. It became obvious to everyone that this guy was brutal.

Ash couldn't put together how this human boy could do all that! "Just what is that guy!?" Brock said, "Don't know, but this is his fight now. We better not get in the way. If anything, he's on our side." Suddenly, the stranger ran at the Cacnea at shockingly high speed! One of his hands was enshrouded with frost and the other was covered in flames.

"Cacnea! Don't just stand there! Use Needle Arm!" Cacnea swung at the stranger, but he was too slow. The stranger was in his face before he even noticed. With a quick 1-2 combo, the stranger hit Cacnea with an icy cross and a flaming uppercut, sending Cacnea flying straight up. At the top, about 100 feet, the stranger moved at light speed up to Cacnea and slammed him down into the ground!

Before the stranger could continue pummeling his friend, James called Cacnea back into his Poke ball. The stranger then glared at James as if to say, "You're next." Just then, Seviper sunk his fangs into the strangers' shoulder from behind! The stranger just choked him to make him let go, then tossed him several feet away. As they locked eyes, the stranger felt a strange response deep inside him.

The stranger smirked, "There is only one way to properly deal with you. HAAAHHH!" When he yelled, the stranger became covered in a bright light. When the light disappeared, in his place was, with blue markings instead of pink, a Zangoose!

"WHHHHAAAAAA?! Dat guy turned into a Zangoose?! This don't make any sense!" Meowth couldn't help shouting when he saw that. Jessie grumbled, "It doesn't make any sense. But I don't have time to think about it. Seviper! Give him another Poison Fang!" Seviper made a lunge for the "Zangoose", but with speed far beyond any Zangoose, the shape shifter landed an earthshaking blow to Sevipers' neck! Seviper gagged and was giving a lighting fast barrage of punches. When he tried to counter with a Poison Tail attack, the shape shifter jumped 15 feet behind him and extended his claws. The shape shifter then began swinging his claws in rapid succession, creating a vacuum with each swing. The vacuums slashed away at Seviper, causing small cuts without drawing blood.

James came up with a clever idea. "Chimecho, hide behind Seviper and when that whateverheis closes in, hit him with a Thunderbolt." Chimecho replied with a happy, "Cho!" After 21 vacuum slashes, the shape shifter made a dash for the weary Seviper. Chimecho was in position, charging up energy for the Thunderbolt attack. When the shape shifter got close enough, he slammed into Seviper with a straight-armed punch, but stayed connected. An eerie silence followed for ten seconds. Then, an explosion was projected from the "Zangoose's" fist, sending Seviper flying right into Chimecho, Jessie, James, and Meowth! Team Rocket landed in their signature pile of defeat. The shape shifter changed back into his human form as well.

Ash shouted, "Okay! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu ran up behind the stranger and charged up energy. "Piiiikaaa..." But before he could finish, the stranger whirled around and punched Pikachu back into Ash's arms!

"What cha do that for?! We were just going to get rid of them!" The stranger glared back at him and said, "Don't interfere." He then looked back at Team Rocket who were shivering in fright. "Hmmmm. I suppose I only have one more thing to say to you clowns."

Everyone listened with bated breath, wondering what his next move would be. Then, he shouted the verdict, "READY TO DIE?!"

He raised both hands straight out from his shoulders and formed a sphere of orange volatile energy in each of them and joined them together in front of him. A strange sound could be heard, the sound that is heard when a Pokémon is charging up energy for a Hyper Beam attack. By this time, Team Rocket had become hysterical, screaming and struggling to get out of the pile.

"If that is what I think it is, he's going to blast them with a Hyper Beam!" Max yelled. May said, "But won't that attack..." Brock shouted, "I think it is, too! That guy is gonna kill them!" At the sound of this, Ash ran off towards the mysterious madman. May screamed, "ASH! STOP! YOU'LL BE KILLED!" He didn't listen.

The moment came. The Hyper Beam attack was ready to fire. The madman shouted one last thing to his victims, "YOU'RE HISTORY!" With that said, he fired a massive blast towards Team Rocket! Just before the blast hit them, Ash body slammed the stranger from the side! "Wha!?" was the only thing he could say as he was knocked off balance by the brave hero. This altered the Hyper Beam's trajectory, causing it to veer off to the left, just narrowly missing the terrified Rockets. The blast flew into a mountain that was visible beyond the forest. The instant it hit, there was a bright flash and deafening explosion that lasted for 10 seconds, causing mass confusion for miles!

When the flash ended, Ash and the gang stared in shock at the mountain. A massive semicircular chunk had been drilled out of the side! Ash had fallen on his rear and was too frightened to get up. Team Rocket had managed to escape during the explosion and was nowhere to be found. The stranger was looming over Ash like a vulture who just found a corpse. His eyes were still filled with bloodlust.

Ash stuttered, "Wh-what are y-y-you?" The stranger answered, "XD-385."

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**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	3. Forbidden Truth Revealed

An eerie silence had settled on the battlefield that nearly became Team Rockets' grave. Ash was staring into the ruby red eyes of the person who would most likely kill him in the next minute. His friends were too afraid to get any closer. One false move could mean the end for Ash. The bizarre bioweapon XD-385 stared at Ash, wondering why he had stopped him from destroying the criminals who intended to do him harm.

He made up his mind, "Get up now, or I'll kill you." Ash quickly climbed to his feet. "Now don't move." With that, XD-385 placed his hand on Ash's face. He then began to look into his memories, hoping to find some insight as to why he defended Team Rocket.

He saw all the way back to when he competed with that jerk, Gary, on any subject. He witnessed where Ash nearly gave his life to defend Pikachu from a flock of Spearows. He marveled at this boys' adventures and comical situations where he had to hold back a laugh. There was a particular red headed girl who he could tell had a big crush on Ash, but was quite skilled in hiding it. He even witnessed several situations where different Team Rocket members confronted Ash and his friends. Compared to them, the ones he had just tried to kill were pretty free spirited.

Finally, XD-385 witnessed the trials Ash overcame at the Orange Islands when a obsessed collector threw nature out of balance by attempting to capture Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia. He saw that according to a mysterious stone tablet, Ash was the Chosen One, the human who would unite humans and Pokémon as well as defend the world from a powerful evil. However, there was a particular occurrence in his subconscious memory that had taken place several months before that great crisis. If it was there and not in his normal memory, it meant that someone or something had tried to erase it. Against his better judgment, XD-385 accessed this memory.

What he saw was a nightmarish situation, Pokémon and their clones tearing into each other without any regard for their own survival. He witnessed the creator of this disaster, Mewtwo, squaring off with his original self, Mew. When it seemed that there was no end in sight, Ash charged into the center of the arena, directly into the path of Mew and Mewtwo's energy blasts! The moment they struck him, XD-385 was cut off from the memory by a blast of pain!

"GRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!" was all that came from his mouth as he was blown away by a wave of purple energy! XD-385 slammed into a tree about 50 feet behind him. As he sat upon the ground, Ash wondered if he was hurt and began to approach him. XD-385 understood everything now. Even though his view was cut short, he knew Ash perished when struck by those two blasts. How he was revived, he did not know. But he knew why he did that; Ash valued all life. That is why he stopped him from killing Team Rocket.

When Ash got to him, he asked, "Are you OK?" XD-385 looked up at him. Ash saw that his eyes had returned to their original sapphire blue color, a sign that he had calmed down. In an instant, he jumped to his feet, startling Ash and causing him to back away. His friends ran over to him and Pikachu jumped in front of him, ready to zap XD-385 again.

XD-385 slowly walked over to the group and, to everyone's surprise, kneeled before Ash. "Wha-what do you want?" XD-385 replied, "I have decided. Considering whom you are, you definitely need a guardian." May, Max, and Brock were stumped by this. Max nudged Ash playfully and said, "Heeeyyy Ash, you never told us you were a celebrity!" XD-385 gave him a glare, "This is a serious matter. Do any of you remember a freakish storm about one year ago, originating from the Orange Islands?" Brock remembered it well since he was at Professor Ivy's lab at the time, although he still didn't want to think about her right now. May and Max also remembered the crazy weather that day.

May said, "Do you mean the day that countless Pokémon were trying to get to the Orange Islands?" XD-385 replied, "Exactly. Ash is the Chosen One spoken of in legend and you all might not be here now if it wasn't for him!" Everyone shouted, "WHAT?!" Ash's face went red from the attention he got. "Uh, he's right. I don't like bragging about it, but I am mentioned in a stone tablet down there. I nearly died that day too." XD-385 spoke, "That is why I have decided to become your guardian. You don't know it, but your duty isn't over yet. Someday, you will have to do battle against a great evil and I intend to make sure you live to see that day."

Max yelled, "Yeah right! You think he's gonna let you come with us after what you did?!" Max pointed to the mountain that XD-385 had blasted only minutes before. XD-385 sighed, "I guess you need to know the truth about me. HOWEVER, you must not tell ANYONE who is not close to any of you. Understand?" Everyone nodded. "As you may have suspected, I am not human, even though I look like one. I am a bioweapon created by Team Magma and Team Aqua. They intended to use me to conquer this world to preserve the environment by force." Brock said, "But just what are you exactly?" XD-385 looked at him funny. "My name should give it away! I was created from the DNA of nearly all Pokémon that have been discovered to date. That's 385 species. Therefore, I have the ability to use ANY of their powers at will, including all their moves. The reason I look human is because of my Ditto DNA. I can alter my appearance to just about anything. However, I can't change my gender. When I discovered what they intended to use me for, I tried to escape from the lab where I was created. However, they captured me and banished me into space when they decided I was too dangerous."

When he turned around, he had to choke back a laugh since they were staring at him with their mouths hanging open! "That is what I am. I hope you can understand that." They still looked like they were comatose. XD-385 looked down at Pikachu and said, "Care to do the honors?" Pikachu nodded and zapped the gang awake! "Now then, shall we be going?" Everyone looked at Ash. "Sure you can come. I don't judge, I train." May spoke up, "Um, how about we give you a name? XD-385 sure sounds hard to remember!" Max and Brock took the initiative, arguing over names for him. After about 30 seconds of their bickering, an annoyed XD-385 shouted, "ENOUGH! Only my master can decide my name!" Ash blushed, no one had EVER called him something so formally before! He thought for a moment, "Uh, hmmmm, errrr, I got it!" Everyone listened. "How does "Neo" sound?" XD-385 thought about it. "Hmmm, I like it! Neo it is!" After introductions were completed, XD-385, or Neo, spoke up, "It's gotten pretty late. Have you guys eaten dinner yet?" At the sound of this, Brock groaned, "NOOOO! I forgot all about the soup I was cooking! It'll be burned if the fire isn't put out soon!" Neo asked, "Which way to camp?" Brock pointed away from the crash site, "That way, but..." Before for he could say anything else, Neo was gone. "Where did he go?!" Max replied, "Maybe he Teleported to camp." When they got back to camp, a 15 minute walk, they saw Neo rapidly stirring the soup. The fire had also been put out.

Neo welcomed them, "That was close. I got to it just before it was burned." Everyone ran to the camp site. May was delighted that Ash was back to his old hungry self again. "All right guys! It's chow time!" Ash shouted as he released all his Pokémon from their Pokeballs. May and Brock did the same. When they noticed Neo's odd scent, they immediately took an aggressive mood to him. Ash convinced them that he was no enemy to them, though.

While everyone was feasting on the soup and Poke chow made by Brock, Neo was keeping watch. After a minute passed by, May asked him, "Come on Neo! There's enough for all of us. Are you just not hungry?" Neo replied, "Oh all right." However, he noticed that the Pokémon were not eating any of the soup, just that bland looking Poke chow. Knowing that he was all Pokémon and no human, he snatched up a piece and started eating it.

It took a moment, but he noticed everyone, the Pokémon and humans were just staring him. Not sure of what was wrong, Neo asked, "What?" Brock replied, "Don't you want some soup?" Neo shook his head and said, "Sorry, but I have to eat this stuff. I am all Pokémon, you know. Besides, it doesn't taste bad at all." Ash thought to himself, (Guess it's time for a change.) He offered his bowl of soup to Grovyle. He seemed confused, but Ash reassured him. To everyone's surprise, Grovyle started drinking the soup rather quickly, enjoying every last drop.

Brock was stumped by this unexpected move but then said, "Guess I better get started on another pot." Neo smiled, (He really is different. He is a master worth serving!) That night, everyone went to sleep with their bellies full of soup. Neo stayed awake to keep watch for danger. If his first few hours back on Earth were this blessed, he could only imagine what lay in store for him and his new friends.

* * *

**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	4. Return To Alto Mare

A few days had passed since Ash acquired a new friend and bodyguard, XD-385, otherwise known as Neo. Team Rocket hadn't bothered them recently due to the shock treatment that XD-385 put them through, although he could still sense that they were nearby. Although he had proved himself loyal by doing everything Ash asked, Neo couldn't help but notice that Ash had become slightly more and more depressed with each passing day. He even showed no interest in battling. Pikachu came to Neo, asking for help. He agreed to do whatever he could to lighten Ash's spirits.

When they reached a Pokémon Center, Neo took the time to look through some travel magazines. He was certain that Ash was just in a slump and needed a vacation. However, the place had to be somewhere they could all agree on. Not too hot, not too cold, not too crowded, and not too fancy. Just then, he found what he was looking for. He waited for everyone to finish their business before calling them over.

"I've noticed that you have all seemed a little exhausted over the past few days, so I thought you all could use a vacation. I had to find a place that you could all agree on. Does this look OK to all of you?" Neo showed them the magazine he was reading. It was a special on Alto Mare.

May shrieked, "Oh, isn't that the city where the streets are paved with water?! I've always wanted to go there!" Max said, "That place has so many great museums! I'm in!" Brock added, "I've been there before. I would really like to go there again." That was three, only one left. Everyone looked at Ash. He seemed to be thinking deeply. (This could be my only chance to ever see her again. But what if she doesn't feel the same way about me?)

Neo spoke, "Master, we are waiting for your decision." A moment passed and Ash looked up at them with a nervous smile on his face. "Yeah, I'd like to go there." Neo exclaimed, "Well, that's everyone! Just give me a minute to make some reservations and we'll be on our way!" He then went over to a phone to call a hotel in Alto Mare.

Brock asked, "Won't it take weeks to get to Alto Mare?" Just then, Neo came back. "I made some reservations for us. We'll be in Alto Mare by tonight, at the latest." Everyone shouted, "TONIGHT?!" Neo remarked, "What, have you forgotten who I am?!" Everyone still glared at him as if he had just ruined their day. Neo muttered, "Just come outside. And don't forget your supplies."

Neo lead the gang 100 feet from the Pokémon Center before stopping. He turned around and said, "I need you to give me some room." They took a step back. "More." They took another step back. "More!" They took yet another step back. "GO LONG, GUYS!" They ran back about 50 feet before Neo told them to stop. Max mumbled, "Just how does he think he's going to us there before sundown?" Neo shouted over to them, "I going to get you guys there in style!"

After focusing himself, Neo became covered in a bright light, just like when he transformed into a Zangoose. May asked, "Is it just me, or is he getting bigger?" A moment later, she had her answer. Neo had transformed into a majestic Lugia! He spoke to them, "Well, is this stylish enough for you?"

Max ran over to him, "This is so awesome! You're really going to fly us there?!" Neo nodded, "Yeah, it would take too long to go on foot." He lowered a wing so they could climb on. After everyone was ready, Neo said, "You guys might want to hold onto my dorsal fins for the first few minutes." After a second, he yelled, "Hey, Max! Which way to Alto Mare?!" Max checked the Pokenav. "Uh, it's to the Northwest!" "Thanks! Now hold on!"

Neo began to slowly flap his massive wings, creating strong winds in the process. After a few moments, they were cruising through the sky towards Alto Mare. Despite flying at very high speed, the gang felt little wind. Neo was generating a barrier to prevent the wind from blowing anyone off.

After a few hours, plus a bathroom break, Neo landed in a forest near the docks where they would ride a boat to Alto Mare, since it is surrounded by water. Max scolded Neo after he took on his normal form again, "Why didn't you fly us over to Alto Mare?!" Neo glared at him, "Do you think it would have been a good idea for the inhabitants to know that there is a shape shifting bioweapon in their city?" Max's face turned red. "And I thought you were the brainy one." Without arguing, the group boarded a ferry to Alto Mare. May and Max couldn't stop babbling about what they wanted to do and see when they got there.

The sun had begun to set. Neo was watching it when he got an unexpected feeling. He could sense something in Alto Mare. Was it...sorrow? Someone must have gone through terrible heartbreak there recently. He could also feel...himself? (One of my brothers or sisters must be in that city. What are the chances?!) Still, Ash was the most important person in the world to him, so he would stay by his side at all times.

After they reached the hotel, Neo checked in with the receptionist. "Cash, check, or charge?" Neo replied, "Charge." Max looked on in surprise as he saw what seemed to be a credit card form from cybernetic encryptions and polygons between Neo's right hands' fingers. After he paid, the bellhop took them up to their room, which turned out to be the most expensive one in the building!

After the bellhop left, Max immediately brought up the credit card, "How did you do that?!" Neo asked, "You mean how I paid them?" "Yeah, what was that?!" Neo had a sly little grin on his face, "It's all thanks to my Porygon DNA." Brock asked, "You mean that Pokémon that can turn itself into cybernetic data?" Neo replied, "Yep. I can interact with machines that scan credit cards. It's a little difficult to explain, so let's just say I'm a walking bank account, meaning I can generate as much currency as I need."

May asked Neo, "Oh Neo, would you like to take me shopping for souvenirs?" Neo didn't like that look in her eyes. "Stop trying to sweet talk me and yeah, I'll take ya." First, he mentally scanned the city for any malicious intentions. Except for a few crafty street vendors, there didn't seem to be anything that seemed to want to harm Ash.

Ash went with them to get some takeout. May couldn't believe how much was available, especially all the glassworks. Neo even ate a piece of glass candy! He had to pay for it, of course. For takeout, they got a special entrée, pasta in a black sauce with cuttlefish. When they got back to the hotel, Ash seemed VERY disappointed, as if he didn't find what he was looking for. At the dinner table, Neo blurted out, "That sauce will stain, but not your clothes." just to be funny. It took everyone a minute to figure out what he meant by that, but when they did, they scolded him out of being so disgusting at the dinner table! After they finished eating, everyone turned in for the night, except Neo. He went out for a patrol of the city. He took on the form of a Latios since the narrow walkways seemed as if they were made for one. He had no idea that another Latios had patrolled this city a few months prior to his arrival.

As he went down a particular hallway, Neo sensed an immense amount of plant life nearby. When he found the source, he was greeted with the largest garden he had ever laid eyes on. Curious, he entered and felt that the strange feeling he got while on the ferry was much stronger here. He focused his eyes and saw, at the far edge of the garden on a low tree branch, a Latias! He immediately thought, "Sister? Is she the Latias who's DNA was used in creating me?"

Neo thought he noticed that she was moving back and forth slightly on the branch, so he focused his eyes a little more. The moment he could see clearly what she was doing, his mind and face went blank. His sister was moaning in delight as she masturbated on a small rounded nub at the base of the branch! She had her arms wrapped around the branch as she moved herself back and forth onto the nub. She was muttering someone's name as she did so, but Neo didn't stick around to listen! He got out of the garden as fast as he could without being noticed. "Oh man, I REALLY wasn't supposed to see that!" After calming down, Neo made a return trip to the hotel. He felt a little better that he had found one of his 385 relatives, in a certain sense.

That night, in a house not far from the secret garden, that same Latias was experiencing a dream she would not soon forget. She found herself in a clearing in a forest. It was raining. However, the rain seemed to taste salty, like tears. Latias could also hear soft weeping all around her; the voices of many Pokémon were mourning someone. Even the Earth itself seemed to be in mourning. Some of the trees and grass had shriveled up, as if they had lost their will to live.

Latias could sense something ahead of her. She flew through the forest towards what she sensed. When she entered another clearing, she was greeted with a sight that shattered her heart. In the center of the clearing was the boy she had fallen in love with, Ash Ketchum, his body impaled on a large golden sword with four spikes pointing out and up on each side of the double-edged blade. There were red runic inscriptions on the side of the blade and a green diamond was embedded near the hilt.

She flew over to him and used her psychic powers to lift the sword off of him, and then cast it aside. She immediately tried to use Recover on him while choking back tears, but tragically, he was already dead. Latias began sobbing into Ash's blood-soaked jacket; she could not believe that he was gone.

"Don't worry, you'll join him soon enough." Latias looked up to see who the voice belonged to. To her horror, a large humanoid creature wearing jet-black armor slashed her with the large golden sword, causing her to wake up with a cold sweat. The sun had begun to rise. It was morning.

Latias had been having dreams like that frequently since Ash left Alto Mare several months ago, except this was the first one where she found Ash dead. She didn't know what it was supposed to mean. Would everyone on the planet mourn Ash's death when he died? One thing was for certain; Latias was in love with Ash and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, even if he didn't love her.

Bianca had noticed that Latias had become terribly depressed since Ash left. She knew that Latias was suffering from heartache, but was troubled that she couldn't do much to help her. Latias had the ability to go looking for Ash, but she had to stay and guard the Soul Dew. She also couldn't take it with her, since doing so would cause the water in Alto Mare to disappear, meaning disaster for its inhabitants.

Latias went back to the secret garden. It was here that she first revealed herself to Ash. She looked at the tree she would frequently use to masturbate, but decided against it. It would always break her heart after she finished, knowing that she would never really perform the most sacred act of love with the boy she loved. She rested on a stone bench and began to quietly cry, silently scolding herself for falling in love with someone who couldn't love her back.

Ash was staring out of the window at the rest of the city, still just as depressed as the days before. May finally gathered the courage to ask Neo to try something new. "Neo, could you please try to make Ash a little happier?" Neo gave her a funny look, "You really have the hots for him huh?" May blushed heavily, "N-No! I'm just..." Neo cut her off, "In love with him?" Before May could respond, Neo added, "Don't try to hide it. He's someone you can't help but like. Even I was not immune to him. However, I'm not in love with him. That just wouldn't be proper!" Neo then went over to Ash. May felt a little better about her feelings after that and hoped that Ash felt the same way about her.

Neo asked Ash, "Master, is there anything I can do for you?" Ash thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, I need you to search Alto Mare for a hidden garden. When you find it, I want you to take me to it." Neo remembered that garden he saw last night. "Um, I already found it." Ash looked up at him with a look of urgency. "You have?! Take me there, now!" Neo Transformed into a Latios again and snatched Ash up in his arms, then flew out the window, turning invisible as he did so.

In minutes, they arrived at the secret garden. Ash stood at the entrance and told Neo, "I need to be alone here. Would you just watch the entrance for me?" Neo replied, "Of course. Take all the time you need." Ash then went inside, wondering if he would find who he was looking for.

Ash didn't go far before he heard what sounded like someone crying. He approached a stone bench from behind, since the sound seemed to be coming from it. When he looked over the back, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Latias lying down on it, crying softly. He placed his hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down. The moment she felt his hand touch her feathers, Latias looked up at Ash and wondered if this was another one of her dreams.

"Why are you crying?" Latias knew that it was really Ash when he spoke, since he never spoke to her in her dreams. She replied by tackling him and knocking him down, crying against his chest. Ash gently embraced her to try to get her to stop crying. He could feel tears building up in his own eyes.

Finally, she spoke. Not with her mind, but with her voice! "Ash, I thought I would never see you again!" Ash was stunned that she could speak without using telepathy. "You can talk?" She answered, "I have been training myself so hard. I wanted to be able to speak to you in a way you could understand." She had finally stopped crying.

Ash asked her, "Why were you crying?" Latias began shedding tears again. It was time for him to learn the truth. "Because I love you. When you left, I thought I could handle being apart from you, but every day, it hurt so much. I was even losing my will to live." Ash was relieved that Latias loved him just as much as he loved her. He raised her head until she was looking at him with her beautiful golden eyes. "I felt it too. I came back because I love you too."

Latias felt her heart melt. The boy she loved also loved her! Latias couldn't contain her joy any longer. Without warning, she thrust her face towards his and accidentally rammed him! "OW!" Ash rubbed his nose, afraid it was broken. Latias was ashamed. She thought for sure he would hate her now. To her surprise, Ash said, "Let me help you with that." He gently rotated her head until it was on a 45 degree angle, then he brought his lips to hers.

Latias felt like she was in Heaven as she and Ash had their first kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck while Ash stroked her back. After a moment, Latias licked at Ash's lips to gain entry. He parted his lips to allow their tongues to intertwine. Finally, they broke the kiss and just lay there. They had finally found true love, despite the fact that they were completely different in specie. Latias began to cry again. Ash asked, "What's wrong?" a worried look on his face. Latias replied, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just so happy. I can't help it." She was shedding tears of joy. They embraced each other, never wanting to let go.

The whole time, a certain bioweapon was watching from a massive tree nearby. A tear fell from his face. His master had found love with his big sister. Maybe someday, his master would become his brother-in-law. Happy like never before, XD-385 flew off for the hotel while rendering himself invisible. Just then, something popped into his head. What would he say to May?

* * *

**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	5. The Resurrection of Latios

XD-385 stood outside the door to the hotel room that he and his friends were using. He had discovered that his master is in love with his big sister. What would he tell May? She was also in love with Ash. If she knew that Ash was in love with someone else who isn't even human... Neo shuddered at the thought of what she might do.

When he stepped inside, May asked, "Where's Ash?" Neo replied, "He's staying at a friends' home tonight." May sighed, "That's good to know. Knowing Ash, I'm sure he has a lot of friends all over the place!" "Yeah..." Neo asked, "Um, I'm only asking out of curiosity, but what made you fall in love with Ash?" May blushed and took a seat. "I'll tell you, but don't tell Ash. I don't know what it is exactly what draws me to him, but I just could not help but like him. And those eyes, I can just get lost in them. It was only after we got into a fight and apologized to each other that I realized how much he meant to me. *Sigh* What I would give for him to make... huh?" May finally noticed that Neo had nodded off from listening to her confession.

May shouted, "HEY! Aren't you listening?!" Neo let out a snicker, "Don't get mad, I was listening the whole time!" May gave him a grumpy look. He added, "I don't think I want to know how you were going to finish that sentence, anyway." May yelled, "What is that supposed to mean?!" Neo replied, "I mean you better watch what you say when Brock and your little brother are in the next room!" May covered her mouth out of embarrassment, realizing that she nearly blurted out her deepest, most sacred desire. Neo jumped out the window after turning invisible. May shouted, "Where are you going?!" Neo shouted back, "I'm just going to check on Ash!"

When Neo got back to the secret garden, he saw that the sun was setting. Also, Ash and Latias were still where he left them. They had fallen asleep. Not wanting them to catch cold by sleeping outdoors, Neo decided to wake them up in the least harmful way he could think of. He noticed a large pond nearby. He then used Surf to cause a huge wave of water to crash down on the two lovers!

They woke up instantly. Latias nearly panicked to see a total stranger in the garden. "W-Who are you?!" Ash calmed her down by saying, "Don't worry, he's just my guardian. He won't hurt you unless you try to hurt me." Latias could sense immense power in this person, she could even sense... her brother?! "Is that you brother?!" Neo replied, "Yes, but not the one you're thinking of. I'm your little brother and, errrrr, sister." Ash and Latias looked at him as if they had just smelled feet. "OK, let me explain. You see, I was created with the DNA of 385 species of Pokémon. The one my creators acquired Latias DNA from was you. The same goes for your brother. So you see, I'm both your brother and sister." This cleared things up for Ash, but not Latias. Neo spent several more minutes explaining what he was and why he was created.

Latias asked Ash, "Do you really trust him? After what he almost did, aren't you afraid of him?" Ash shook his head, "No. I don't judge people for what they can do. He has been loyal to me and only me since I named him." Neo added, "That's why I like you so much!" They all shared a good laugh before heading to Latias' house, which she shared with Bianca and her Grandpa.

When they got there, Bianca marveled at how much better Latias looked and was very surprised to see Ash and his guardian with her. After some introductions, they all settled down for dinner. Bianca spoke first, "So, Neo, what's it like being a bioweapon?" He replied, "I'm not sure. I've yet to feel any pain from attacks. However, I share a weakness with all other Pokémon. It is the only move type that can kill me." Everyone stared at him. Latias asked, "What is this type?" Neo replied, "I don't want to say this too loudly, but my one true weakness is Shadow type attacks." Ash was stumped, "I've never heard of that type of Pokémon before." Neo looked him in the eye and said, "There is no Shadow type Pokémon, but there are Shadow type attacks. I don't know much about it, but I do know that Shadow energy, which is used in Shadow attacks, can be manufactured into weapon ammunition." Bianca muttered, "Wow. Sounds dangerous."

After dinner, Ash and Latias went up to the roof for some time alone. Ash spoke first, "Would you look at that sunset." Latias replied, "It just isn't that good when you're alone." They stared at the sunset silently for a minute. Ash then asked, "So Latias, would you like to come with me when we leave?" Latias then seemed to almost start crying again. "Please stop that. If you keep crying, you'll burn out your eyes." Latias replied, "I'm sorry. I just can't leave. I have to protect the Soul Dew since my brother is gone and I can't take it with me."

"You can't leave because big bro is dead? Why didn't you say so?" They looked behind them and saw Neo standing on the very top of the roof. "Yes, he is. I have to take his place." Neo then asked, "Why don't you just have me resurrect him?" They both stared at him in disbelief. "YOU CAN WHAT?!" Neo laughed out loud. "Have you forgotten who I am?" Ash thought for a moment. "That's right. I have the powers of Jirachi, the Wish Maker! Any wish of yours is mine to grant." Latias yelled, "YOU CAN REALLY DO THAT?!" Neo winched, "Yes. Now stop yelling." Ash added, "But doesn't it take 1,000 years for him to grant a wish?" Neo answered, "Not if you throw in a little time travel. I am part Celebi, you know." Latias squealed in joy as she embraced Ash and kissed him, much to their surprise.

Back at the hotel, May was look out from the balcony with binoculars. Max asked, "What are you looking for?" May replied, "I'm just looking at what I couldn't see on the ground...huh?" May paused as she thought she saw something on a rooftop a good distance away. She adjusted the binoculars to focus more on distant objects and looked again. What she saw next shocked her to her soul. There on a rooftop about 20 blocks away, was Ash being passionately kissed by a Latias! May could feel her blood begin to boil as she watched the boy she loved being seduced by a Pokémon. Ignoring Max, she rushed down to the street and towards the house where Ash was.

Neo shivered at the sudden feeling of rage approaching them. He yelled, "OK guys! We will meet in the secret garden for the resurrection. Latias, you go get the Soul Dew. Master, you come with me." Latias flew off for the Soul Dew while Neo Teleported himself and Ash to the secret garden.

Since she had never been to Alto Mare before, May soon became lost. (I can't believe this. I know Ash is very attractive, but NO ONE will take him away from me! Although first, I have to find them.) By chance, she stumbled through the hidden entrance to the secret garden. Inside, she became relieved to find Ash and Neo alone.

Neo looked behind him and said, "Oh no, how did she get here?!" May was too out of breath to say anything for a moment. Finally, she said, "All right, where is it?!" Ash looked confused, "What?" "That Pokémon that was smooching you on the roof!" Ash blushed heavily, "You saw that?!" "Yes, I did. Now where is it?!" Ash was pretty angry that May was referring to Latias as an object, but he managed to keep a straight face. Before they said anything else, Latias flew in with the precious Soul Dew.

May yelled at Latias, "YOU! You're that Pokémon that was making out with my Ash!" Ash said to himself, (MY Ash? What does she mean by that?!) May reached for all her Pokeballs that contained her Pokémon. "NO ONE will take Ash away from me!" With that, she unleashed all of them on Latias. Combusken, Beautifly, Skitty, and Bulbasaur attacked Latias as directed. Latias was frightened. She had very little combat experience and had no chance of defeating this trainer on her own.

Ash yelled, "Neo, don't let them hurt her!" "Will do!" Neo Teleported in front of Latias and took a deep breath. Just before May's Pokémon reached him, he let out a yell. "FWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!" He sent all her Pokémon flying with a mighty Aeroblast! Latias said to herself, (Wow. So that is what he can do.) May was stunned. Ash had defended this Pokémon from her! Ash asked as politely as possible, "What was that outburst all about?" May's face turned red and tears began falling down her face. "I was jealous. I know I've never told you this, but I love you Ash. When I saw her kissing you on the roof, I became so angry that I couldn't think straight. I just wanted to make sure that she couldn't take you away from me." She then began crying against his chest.

Latias was afraid of this. She wasn't surprised that someone else had fallen in love with Ash. Could Ash be more in love with May than her? Ash said, "I guess I always liked you a lot too. But I want you to understand. Latias is the girl I love." May felt like her heart had been ripped out. "Ash, please. Just this once, please kiss me." Ash looked over at Latias. She gave him a nod. Ash said to May, "OK." He lifted her face until she was looking at him. He then pressed his lips against hers. May felt all her sorrow disappear as she received her first kiss. However, she got carried away and began kissing Ash as passionately as Ash and Latias had done earlier that day. When May finally broke the kiss, she felt much better, as if that one kiss would keep her satisfied for a long time.

May walked over to Latias. "I'm sorry about what I did. I just want you to know how lucky you are that Ash fell for you." Latias replied, "That's all right. I'm just glad that you feel better now." Neo interrupted, "Excuse me, but can we get started?" "Oh, right!" Latias handed him the Soul Dew. He then said, "I'm going to enter a deep hibernation state. When I fall asleep, stick a piece of paper to my face with your wish written on it within the first minute. One minute after I fall asleep, my body will begin to time travel a year every minute, reducing the time to 1,000 minutes. Do not come within one foot of me, or your body will age a year a minute as well. Also, Master, I will not be able to protect you while asleep, so be on guard. Ready?" Everyone nodded. Neo fell asleep and Ash stuck a note to his face with a wish on it stating Latios' revival. With nothing else to do but wait, May gathered her Pokémon and returned to the hotel for the night, while Ash and Latias returned to Bianca's house for the night.

The next day, Ash and his friends decided to pass the time by visiting the main tourist attractions around Alto Mare. Ash and Latias took an old-fashion Gondola ride through the canals, May and Max checked out the museums, while Brock tried to swoon Bianca and gather supplies for their return trip to the Hoenn region. When there was just 10 minutes left before Neo awoke, everyone came to the secret garden to welcome back Alto Mare's guardian. When they got close to him, everyone noticed that Neo totally reeked! "I guess he wasn't kidding when he said he was going 1,000 years through time. He's gone a thousand years without a bath!" mentioned Max. Everyone chuckled at this pun. Suddenly, Neo opened his eyes. At that moment, the note on his face began to shine, and then disappeared. The Soul Dew began to glow. A glowing silhouette of a Latios rose out of it and began to solidify. When he stopped glowing, Latios awoke in a daze.

"BROTHER!" Latias rushed to Latios and embraced him. "Am I... alive?" Ash answered, "Yeah, Neo here brought you back." Latios pried himself from Latias and looked behind him. "UH! This human absolutely stinks! When was the last time you bathed?!" Neo thought a moment, "Ummmm, never?" Everyone busted out laughing! It was true. Neo had not been alive that long, but he still had never showered before! He took a whiff of himself, gagged, and jumped into the pond nearby.

Latias said, "Um, brother? He really isn't a human at all." "He's not? What is he, then?" She explained everything to him. Latios said afterwards, "Hmmm, I never thought I would have another brother and sister, ESPECIALLY in one body!" Everyone laughed again. Bianca came over to Latias and said, while holding back tears, "Now you can leave with Ash. Just be sure to visit now and then." Latias hugged her best friend and said, "I promise."

Latios spoke, "What? I will have no such thing!" Ash yelled, "Hey! She can do what she wants with her life! Besides, you're strong enough to protect the Soul Dew on your own, right?! So why can't she leave?!"

Latios replied sternly, "Because I say so. I will not allow my little sister out into the world where countless dangers await!"

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**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	6. Sibling Rivalry

Latias was stunned. Her brother had always been very protective of her, but this was going too far! Could it be that something had happened to his soul during his absence from the living world?

"I don't understand, Brother. Why can't I leave Alto Mare?" Latios replied, "You're still too weak. You could very easily die like I did. You're my responsibility and I won't have you leave the only place where you can be safe!" Ash and his friends were furious at Latios for preventing his sister from leading her life the way she wanted.

Latias then made an unexpected demand, "Brother, if you won't let me travel with the boy I love, I'll fight you for that right!" No one could believe what she just said, especially Latios. Latias had always been so meek that he never expected her to question him! Now she was challenging him to combat?

"Your will has grown strong sister. I accept." He created a portal to a dimensional battlefield. He and Latias entered the portal while everyone else watched. They could see the two Pokémon in a sphere shaped screen. (Don't push yourself too hard Latias. I don't want to lose you.) Ash prayed for her success.

The two fighters seemed to be in a dark meadow. They dashed at each other, but Latios knocked Latias away using just physical strength! She quickly flew at him again, but he Teleported behind her and slammed her with a straight-arm punch, only to knock her back and forth at high speed for a second! She tried to counter, but Latios blasted her with a Flamethrower attack!

The sphere shaped screen went white for a second and the field changed to a star filled night sky. Latias had had enough of being bashed around like a rubber ball. She gathered her strength and began to fight back against her brother with power that seemed to equal, or surpass his own! Her speed was great and it was her who began laying a beating on Latios for a moment! The screen went white again and the two Pokémon were over an ocean this time.

Latios made the first move. He came out of nowhere and sent his sister into the ocean. When he flew after her, Latias punched him back! She flew out of the water and tried to punch Latios when he flew at her again. Instead, he flew around her at light speed while laying explosive attacks on her! The screen went white again and they were now at a high-tech base.

Latias was on the ground when Latios swooped in and sent her flying! When she dashed at him, he back dropped her into the metal floor! Latias then turned the tables and began pounding Latios with high-speed attacks that left no room for escape. She even began using afterimages that were surprisingly solid, ending the barrage with two of them simultaneously punching him from the sides, exploding as they did so. The screen went white again and it showed Latias in what appeared to be outer space.

Suddenly, Latios appeared and let out a roar. He was surrounded in a blue aura. He was not going to let the fight continue any further. Latias had no hope of victory as her brother pounded her with high speed and powerful blows, ending with a massive Luster Purge! The screen went white again and it showed Latias lying unconscious in a strange temple. Ash looked on in horror as Latios flew in for the finishing blow. At the last second, there was a sudden flash of light. When it dimmed, everyone stood aghast as they saw XD-385 Slam Latios away from his sister!

"Enough." Latios was seething. "You, how did you get in here?! I don't care if you are my little brother. I will make you pay for interrupting this fight!" Neo frowned and replied, "I'd like to see you try, cheater." Everyone was shocked at what he said. Cheater? Surely, Latios wouldn't cheat against his little sister! Would he?

Latios yelled, "Cheater?! Do you know what you just said?!" Neo's eyes turned Ruby red again, a sign that he was quite angry. "Idiot. You healed yourself after every dimensional shift!" Latios looked just as shocked as everyone else. Neo then became enshrouded with a swirling red aura again. Latios quickly made another dimensional shift and the two of them were in a crystal cavern.

Neo dashed at Latios and performed a horse kick to his face, followed by a reverse ax kick. He then blasted him with a Self-destruct attack in the form of an orb of energy launched from his hand! After Neo socked Latios with a Mach Punch, the screen went white for just an instant. When the light faded, some of the viewers had to choke back a laugh as they saw Neo with the back of his fist in Latios face! Neo had disrupted the shift by sucker punching him! Latios had a look on his face that showed he didn't know what hit him. Neo then said, "I don't think so."

After being knocked away, Latios tried to fight back, but the powerful bioweapon in this ascended state was proving to be too much for him. After an uncertain number of physical blows, projectile attacks, and Leaf Blade slashes, Latios decided to pull out all the stops. As Neo closed in, Latios paralyzed him with Disable! He then began charging up power for a last ditch attack.

Latios blasted his brother with the strongest Luster Purge he could muster. Neo took the blast head-on. Ash stood there watching, praying that his guardian would survive. When the smoke cleared, everyone saw that Neo was still standing, but had lost his left arm. Latios dashed at Neo for a finishing blow, but was knocked away by an unseen force!

A sudden flash of blue light filled the screen and when it dimmed, everyone saw Neo letting out a scream as he reached an even more unstable form than the one he was already in! His eyes had become Sapphire blue again, but so did his hair! His left arm had also been restored! His fists were covered in Ruby red flames while his body was surrounded with a Sapphire blue aura! He then stared at Latios, filling him with terror with his cold, unfeeling eyes.

Before Latios knew what was happening, XD-385 was pummeling him with the Ruby red flames around like whips. He then began slamming him back and forth with explosive Dynamic punch attacks! He then threw the flames from his hands, which then split into six flames. They surrounded Latios and slammed into him at once, exploding with great force! After pummeling Latios with brute force for three seconds, Neo ended with an Explosion, blowing up the dimensional battlefield! The screen shattered and the three combatants fell to the ground. Ash rushed to Latias, but everyone else was too scared to get any closer to the crazy bioweapon. Neo left the secret garden to try to calm down. Ash and his friends got Latias and Latios to Bianca's house to apply first aid.

Latias regained consciousness first and was quite worried about Latios, who was in bed next to her. She noticed that Ash was holding her hand tightly. While blushing, she asked, "Did I win?" Ash shook his head, "No. Neo had to step in to stop Latios from going too far. Although in the end, Neo went too far himself." He pointed to Latios. Some of his feathers were scorched and he was heavily bruised. He was still unconscious.

"Neo did that to him?" Ash tried to comfort her, "Yeah, he got pretty mad when he saw that Latios was cheating." Latias couldn't believe what she heard. "He cheated? How could he?" Ash explained everything. Latias couldn't understand why her own brother would cheat against her to keep her in Alto Mare. A few hours later, at midnight, Neo arrived. He had calmed down enough that his eyes and hair were back to their normal colors. Without saying a word, he took a seat near Latios. He had some questions to ask him when he woke up.

A few minutes later, Latios finally awoke. "Why, brother? Why did you go so far to keep your sister imprisoned here?!" Latios was silent for a moment. His eyes were filled with shame. Finally, he answered, "I'm sorry. Latias is the only family I have. I wanted her to stay so she would always be safe. I can't stand the thought of her being harmed by anyone. Please understand." Ash was furious over that last one. "Then why did you harm her?! It was you who put Latias in this bed!" Latios then began to cry, "I know. I'm sorry. I'm so ashamed that I went to such measures to keep her here. Please, can you ever forgive a prideful Pokémon like me?" Ash laid his hand on Latios' shoulder. "You're not just a Pokémon, you're a person too." Struggling against the pain, Latios embraced his future Brother-in-Law.

"Thank you. I have decided to allow my sister to accompany you on your journey. I'm sure you will be able to defend her against any threat. That goes for you too, Neo." Latias reached out for Latios and they joined claws for a moment. After they let go, Latias had been completely healed! "I used Recover on you. You are free to go." Latias gently embraced her brother, "Thank you." Neo spoke up, "Actually, we still have about a week left till our reservations expire at the hotel. I'll be patrolling the city in your place until we leave, Brother." Latios thanked him and they left for the hotel, leaving Bianca and her Grandpa to look after him.

Later, Ash and Latias were in the same bed. Ash had no problem falling asleep, but Latias had something on her mind. As she clutched Ash tightly against her, she felt a little moist in between her feet. She thought about it and made a decision. "Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow I'll ask him. Maybe my dream will finally come true." She fell asleep, dreaming of the moment when she would lose her virginity to the boy she loved.

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**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	7. First Time

The day after Latias got her brothers' consent to leave Alto Mare, Ash and his friends just decided to enjoy their time in Alto Mare before returning to the Hoenn region. Max and Brock checked out more of the museums, May and Pikachu had a blast feeding Pidgeys in a certain square, while Ash and Latias went wherever they want. Of course, Neo was always close by to defend them from any danger. Latios was still bedridden and had to rely on Bianca and her Grandpa for sustenance.

Team Rocket had finally made it to Alto Mare after a great deal of pedaling in their Magikarp submarine. "So, Jess, how do ya think we should get Pikachu this time?" "First off, I don't want to get anywhere near that freak after what he tried to do last time. I say we should take him out first." James interrupted, "WHAT?! How do you expect us to stop something like that?!" Jessie smirked, "Don't worry. We won't, but he will!"

Ash and Latias, as well as Neo, were resting together at a large fountain in a large square. Against her better judgment, Latias had remained visible and in her normal form, only because Ash asked her to. Some passerby's stared, but no one made any rude remarks. Bianca was doing some shopping when she noticed the two lovers, their hands grasping each other's while they rested against each other's bodies.

Suddenly, Neo detected Team Rocket approaching. "Pre-" Neo cut Jessie off with, "SHUT IT! WHAT DO YOU WANT THIS TIME?!" Ash thought, (Whoa. She didn't even complete the first word.) Neo stood between Ash and Team Rocket. "Didn't think I would see you goofballs again. Do you want me to really kill you this time?" Jessie laughed, "Not this time, twerp! Come out, Wobbuffet!" The light blue Pokémon gave his signature salute when he appeared. Neo glanced back at Ash, "Should I use Hyper Beam again?" Ash answered, "OK. Just don't go too far!" "Fine. I'll use just one hand."

Neo began gathering energy into an orange sphere in his right hand, just like before. "This will leave you guys sore for a while!" He then fired the powerful blast at the surprisingly calm Rockets. At least, Jessie was calm. At the last second, Wobbuffet used Counter! The Hyper Beam was being held back by a powerful barrier from Wobbuffet! Neo began to struggle and applied more force to the blast. Just then, the Hyper Beam was reflected back at him!

"NO WAY!" Neo had no hope of dodging the blast as it came back at him. To Ash and Latias's horror, Neo took the blast head on, seemingly disintegrating as his body was consumed by the blast! "NEO!" When the smoke cleared, there was not even a trace of the brave bioweapon left. Latias screamed at Team Rocket, "YOU MONSTERS! How could you do that to him?!" Jessie replied, "The only way we were going to get Pikachu was to get that freak out of the way. Now that he's gone, there's no one to stop us from taking Pikachu and YOU!" Ash was furious at the thought of Team Rocket abducting Latias. Sadly, all his Pokémon were back at the secret garden relaxing, so he couldn't do much to stop them.

(Don't get full of yourselves. I'm not done yet.) Everyone looked around for the voice that seemed to come from everywhere. Suddenly, shining sparks littered around the square began to join together! As they did, they began to grow. A glowing human silhouette formed from them and when the light receded, there was Neo, completely restored! Of course, his uniform was still intact as well. "Ready for round 2?"

Team Rocket was terrified at the seemingly indestructible fighter before them. "Jessie, we can't fight someone like that! I vote for a retreat!" Jessie responded to James, "Uh, right! Let's get out of here!" As they ran away, Neo joked, "Looks like I didn't have to kill them after all."

A few minutes later, Team Rocket had finally stopped to catch their breath. "Huh, huh, phew. Jessie, I really do not believe we can get Pikachu with that weirdo in our way." "Don't remind me. Just how does he do it? Hyper Beam, Flamethrower, Recover, it's as if he's some sort of all-powerful..." Jessie stopped and put on a very sneaky grin. Meowth spoke up, "Um, Jess? What are you thinking about?" Jessie replied, "I'm thinking that we should have a talk with the boss right away. Just imagine what he'll give us when we tell him that we've discovered something much more valuable than any Pikachu!" James thought for a moment, "I like the way you think, Jessie." "YEAH, we'll be stinking, filthy rich, and I'll be top cat again!"

XD-385 walked over to Ash and Latias. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" Ash and Latias seemed to be holding back tears. Finally, Ash broke down first, "I thought you were a goner." Neo yelled, "Oh come on! You really didn't think that I could be killed by my own attack, did you?!" Latias asked, "Of course we were worried! Still, how did you survive?" Neo gave them a sly look, "You know about Pokémon with gelatinous bodies? Well, just like them, I can regenerate my entire body if some of my nervous system survives. A single molecule of it is all I need to regenerate." Ash stared at him, "Whoa. I had no idea you were THAT tough! I'll bet you could beat anyone in a battle!" Neo replied, "Well, I haven't lost yet, have I?"

On their way back to the hotel, Neo spoke to his sister with telepathy, (Go for it, sis. He wants you just as much as you want him.) Latias felt reassured that her plan would go well. Although she wasn't looking forward to the pain, she knew it would only happen just this once. Any other time afterwards would be filled with nothing but sheer pleasure.

That night at the hotel, Latias finally gathered the courage to put her plan to work. Neo had made sure that their session would have no interruptions by taking everyone except Ash and Latias out to dinner. They had the whole room to themselves. While Ash was out for a brief time, Latias was busy laying out decorations. She set up small candles on the floor to light the way to the bed. She played soft music on a radio near the bed. Lastly, she turned the lights off so that the only light in the room was coming from the candles. She then made herself invisible and waited for her love to return.

Ash came back up to the room after taking some laundry down to the washroom and was surprised to find the room deserted and dark, except for a path of candles leading to his bed. He also noticed soft music playing. Thinking Latias was already in bed, he quietly made his way over to the bed while removing his jacket and pants. When he laid down on the bed, he noticed that Latias wasn't in bed after all. He jumped at the touch of her claw on his shoulder.

"I've been waiting for you, love." Ash replied while embracing her, "Sorry to keep you waiting. It's just you and me tonight, beautiful." Now came the hard part. "Ash, may I ask you a favor?" Ash was taken by surprise by this question. "Uh, sure. You don't have to be so uptight with me about favors." He noticed Latias's face turn red under her white feathers. He was certain she was going to ask him something personal. (This is it. I might never have this chance again. But what if he rejects me? What if he refuses because I'm a Pokémon?) "Latias?" She finally responded while shedding tears, "Will you...please... make love with me?" Ash wasn't certain what she meant by that.

"I already love you, Latias. Do you mean something else?" Latias smiled at the fact that Ash was so innocent with such matters. "I meant this." She lay on her back and reached down between her feet. Since the light was poor, Ash had to look closely to make out what she was touching. When he saw it, his face went red. She was holding open her vagina with her claws!

"You want me to have sex with you?!" Latias nervously nodded. (I knew I shouldn't have asked him that. He's probably angry. He'll leave me behind for sure.) Ash got close to her face and asked, "Why do you want me to do that to you?" Latias looked at his eyes and saw no anger in them. Still, she was too nervous to speak. So she did the next best thing. She pulled him to her and kissed him even more intimately than the first time.

Ash broke the kiss and said, "I would be honored to make love with you." He then removed his undershirt. Latias was quite impressed with his body. The two years he spent walking around as a Trainer had toned his body well. He then removed his underpants. Latias blushed a little at the sight of his member. "I hope I'm not offending you." Latias replied, "No. I just think it's beautiful. I've never seen one before." The only problem was Ash wasn't aroused at all. "Don't move. I think I can help you." Ash rested on his knees as Latias gently licked his member to try and stiffen it. She didn't mind the odd taste and the smell was starting to make her very wet between her feet. Ash blurted out, "That feels really strange, but I kinda like it." "Would this be your first time?" "Yeah, I've never done this before." Latias felt much happier that Ash was a virgin like her.

After a minute of gentle licking, Latias positioned herself on her back, staring into the eyes of the boy she loved. Ash's member was hard and pointed. He carefully held himself up above her. "Ready?" Latias replied, "I've been ready for months!" Ash gently pushed into her, enjoying her soft, warm passage while enjoying her moans of pleasure. Just then, he felt something in the way. He stopped and looked at Latias with a concerned look. She said, "Don't stop. You have to break through. It won't hurt next time." Ash couldn't stand the thought of putting the girl he loved in pain. "I don't want to hurt you." Latias reassured him, "Please, Ash. I've wanted this for so long. It will only last a moment, then it will be gone and I'll never feel it again. So please. End my virginity."

Ash felt uneasy, but said, "OK. Brace yourself." Ash pulled out a little and waited for Latias to give him the signal. He then plunged through her hymen, causing her to let out a shrill cry. Ash felt terrible that he had hurt the girl he loved. To his surprise, Latias rested her claws against his palms. She was crying a little, but she also seemed to be enjoying it. He held on to her hands and began to thrust in and out of her, slightly speeding up over time. Neither of them had ever felt such pleasure before and the knowledge that they were finally getting what they wanted the most only made it better.

The moment they orgasmed, the two lovers let out a loud yell. Latias felt her juices splurt out of her past Ash's member while Ash fired his seed deep into her womb. They had done what few humans would ever have thought possible. They had made love. Ash pulled himself out of his lover and collapsed at her side, too exhausted to move. Latias rested her head against Ash and began to cry. "I'm sorry. I feel terrible that I hurt you." Latias kissed him gently and said, "The pain is gone. I'm crying because I finally got what I've always desired. What we just did never happened even in my dreams. I love you, Ash. I love you so much." Ash managed to get his arm over her and whispered, "I love you, too."

When Neo and his friends returned to the hotel, he stepped into Ash's room by phasing through the door like a Ghost type Pokémon. He saw the candles had burned out and the music was still playing. He also noticed that all of Ash's clothes were scattered across the floor. He also noticed that the two lovers were fast asleep. A small section of the bed seemed to have been wet at the time. Neo grinned to himself. The impossible had happened. He then scanned his sister's body for signs of life within her. To his disappointment, he found that she had not become pregnant. (Oh well. Another time, perhaps. I promise. I will make sure that you both live so you can become parents someday.) He fell asleep in his bed, wondering what he would say to his big brother tomorrow. He was dreaming of the day his future nephew and niece would be born.

However, in an unspecified location, Team Rocket was explaining the situation to Giovanni. The Leader listened with great interest at this discovery. At the end of the briefing, Giovanni had new orders for them. Pikachu was no longer important. A new target had been assigned: The Ultimate Bioweapon, XD-385!

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**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	8. Operation: Paragon

The day after Ash and Latias had their very first lovemaking session, everyone simply enjoyed the remaining days of their vacation at Alto Mare. May was very upset that she would never be Ash's first, but she felt a little better as she watched Latias shower him with love at every chance. May just couldn't help but think that Latias was the perfect girl for Ash. Neo frequently had to remind everyone to not make him buy too many souvenirs! They could only take so many with them. The day before the group would leave Alto Mare, Neo visited Latios, who was almost completely healed.

"Glad to see you're almost back on your feet, brother." Latios gave him a nervous smile, "If you don't mind me asking, would you do me a favor?" Neo was surprised by this, "Uh, sure. Just as long as it doesn't involve harming my master." Latios chuckled, "Of course it doesn't! I want you to hide the Soul Dew in a place where no one, not even me, can find it, somewhere in Alto Mare." Neo asked, "Why do you want me to do that?" Latios replied, "As long as no one can find it, Alto Mare will be safe. I will also be able to leave Alto Mare when I want to." Neo replied, "I guess I see your point. It can get boring staying in one place for too long." Latios laughed, "Yes, it can! However, the main reason why I want to leave Alto Mare is to stay near Ash and Latias." Neo spoke up, "What?! You don't think I can do a good enough job on my own?!" Latios replied, "I'm sure you can defend them both. I just want to be near my family. Ash will become my Brother-in-law someday. I'm sure of it." Neo thought for a moment, and then said, "OK. I'll ask my master if it's OK for you to join us. However, if he says no, I'll do whatever I can to make sure you don't follow us, understand?" Latios nodded. After the beating he got from him before, Latios didn't want to have to fight him again!

The next day, Ash and the gang checked out of the hotel and went down to the dock to wait for the ferry. Neo still wasn't comfortable about changing his appearance around the citizens of the city. Finally, Latios, Bianca and her Grandpa showed up to wish them well. Ash spoke, "Hey Latios! You're good to go!" Latios jumped, "I can come?!" Ash nodded. Bianca was very tearful about her two closest friends leaving her, but she felt happy that they would be with the boy they cared for. She embraced both of the Eon Pokémon, "Promise me you'll come back to visit sometime." They promised. Her grandpa laughed, "You take care, lads! Make sure to invite us to the wedding when you decide on the date!" Ash and Latias blushed heavily at that remark. With all the goodbyes settled, the group set off for the opposite shoreline.

When they got to a forested area, Neo stopped. "OK, where should we go next?" At first, Ash wanted to go back to the Hoenn region to continue his Gym Challenge, but then something else came to mind. "Let's go to Pallet Town." Brock spoke up, "Why do you want to go back home?" Ash replied, "Just for a day. I want Mom to meet my girlfriend and my Guardian. That's not too much trouble, is it?" Neo replied, "Not at all! Now, please give me some distance." Latios asked Ash while they walked away from Neo, "Why do we need to give him space?" Ash smirked, "You have to see it to believe it."

When they were a good distance away, Neo shouted to them, "Watch carefully you two!" With that said, he became covered in a bright light! Latios asked nervously, "Is he about to attack us?" Max replied, "Nah. He's just using Transform." Latios looked back and saw that the light was receding. When the light was gone, Latias and Latios stared at their brother, who was in the form of a Lugia! "You really ARE our brother! Lugia is a distant relative to us!" Max blurted out, "I KNEW that you kinda looked like one!" Everyone laughed. Once everyone was seated on his back, Neo took to the sky. Max directed him to Pallet Town. Little did they know, their movements were being monitored.

Ash decided to have Neo land about a half mile away from Pallet Town. Once Neo had returned to his normal form, Ash broke into a run towards home, leaving everyone else who couldn't fly eating his dust. Neo could sense something a good distance away and used Agility to catch up.

"This should get his attention." Suddenly, a rifle shot rang out! When Ash looked to his left, he saw Neo take the bullet to his face! He staggered back, but he forced the bullet out with psychic power. Latias shrieked, "BROTHER! Are you OK?!" Neo sealed the wound and replied, "Yeah. Ordinary firearms can't take me out." He then looked towards a forest area and shouted, "You have my attention now! Get out here!" To everyone's surprise, Jessie, James and Meowth jumped from the forest. Before they could say the motto, Neo said, "Don't even bother. Why are you here?" Jessie replied, "Hah! Do you really want to know?" Neo shouted, "I wasn't asking you clowns! I was asking your ally hiding in the forest with a sniper rifle!"

At the mention of someone still in the forest, a human figure stepped forth. Ash and Brock recognized her after a moment; she was second in command of the Team Rocket operation to recapture Mewtwo. Unlike James and Jessie, her uniform was more black than it was white. She had her sniper rifle in one hand. "Well, I have to say I'm impressed that you could sense me from way over there. Too bad it won't do you much good. Hm hm hmmm."

Neo said, "You're Black Tulip, second in command of Team Rocket. I don't think you came here for Pikachu or Latias. Why are you here?" A sinister smile came over her face. "Isn't it obvious? If I didn't come here for Pikachu, or Latias, then just why would I, a top commanding officer of Team Rocket, bother with a bunch of kids?" Neo's eyes went wide, "You're after me, aren't you?!" Black Tulip cast aside her rifle and pulled out her signature pole weapon, with an artificial black tulip at the end. "Bingo."

Neo's eyes went Ruby red, "You're a fool if you think you can best me in combat, much less capture me!" He made a dash at her, only to be skewered on the spear like weapon! "That's it? Too easy." Neo grinned slyly at her, "Don't think I'm a pushover, weakling." With a twist of his body, Neo shattered the spear. The battle had just begun and Black Tulip was already taking the beating of her life. After a quick pummeling, Neo sent her skyward. He was just going to let her fall to her death.

As Black Tulip flew a good half mile into the sky, she thought, (Guess it's time to pull out all the stops. If I don't use it now, I probably won't get another chance!) She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gas canister. She then pulled a mouthpiece over her face and breathe deeply from it. (I can feel it. That punk will regret messing with me!)

Neo was walking back to the group when he sensed something above him. (That energy... It can't be!) Everyone saw Black Tulip fall to the ground, but just before she hit it, she was engulfed in a billowing purple aura! She stopped a couple of feet from the ground, just hovering and looking like she was unconscious. Neo ran at her to finish her off, but she sent him flying backwards with a sudden kick!

Latias shouted, "What happened?! Is she not human?!" Suddenly, she remembered what Neo had told her at the dinner table back at Alto Mare that one night about Shadow energy. "Wait! She's using Shadow energy! Somehow, she's fused it into her body!" Latios replied, "We have to help him! Let's go, sister!" After Neo got knocked around a few seconds, Latias and Latios flew up to Black Tulip and made a quick simultaneous Dragon Claw attack! However, Black Tulip blocked the attack with a shield made of Shadow energy and blasted them with it, knocking them both unconscious. Ash felt a terrible feeling in his gut as he saw his girlfriend collapse after that one counterattack.

Neo staggered to his feet, "Do you have any idea what that stuff can do to you?! You're lucky that it didn't kill you on the spot!" Black Tulip laughed, "Well, I'm still standing, aren't I? Now then, you're coming with me, conscious or not!" Neo became enshrouded in a blue aura and his eyes and hair turned Sapphire blue. "Fine, but it's your funeral, pathetic human!"

At high speed, the two combatants began launching flurries of physical blows on each other, leaving little room for error. Max and May were cheering for Neo as he did seem to be unstoppable. However, about 1 minute into the fight, Neo landed an explosive Dynamicpunch on Black Tulip. After that, it went all downhill. Black Tulip began slamming him around at high speed while combining her attacks with large amounts of Shadow energy, making them extremely painful to Neo. After she knocked him into the ground, Black Tulip performed one last 3-hit combo, which caused Neo to lose consciousness. He landed right next to Latios and Latias, who were still out cold.

Black Tulip walked over to the three siblings, her tulip spear imbued with Shadow energy, ready to slay the bioweapon. James, Jessie and Meowth were watching from the safety of the forest, giddy with excitement. As Ash watched what would surly be the death of his future Brother-in-laws and his girlfriend, he saw something in his mind. There were three orbs, side by side. The one on the left began to shine with an intense golden light! Ash then felt an unknown power awaken within his body. Meanwhile, Black Tulip was gloating over her victory, "Some all-powerful bioweapon. If I could beat you, I should be all Team Rocket needs." She raised her spear, ready to slaughter Neo and his siblings! "Nice knowing you, XD-385!"

As Black Tulip thrust her spear towards Neo, something slammed her in the side of the face! HARD. After she climbed to her feet, she saw Ash standing in front of his friends and lover. He was breathing deeply and his eyes were blood-shot with rage. May thought to herself, (What happened to Ash? When did he get so strong and fast?!) Ash then became enshrouded with a lighting like aura. He also seemed to ignite in a golden flame! Brock, May, Max, and Team Rocket were scared of Ash in this bizarre state. Max yelled, "What happened to him?! Why is he on fire?!" Brock answered, "He's not on fire, he's just covered in a golden flame. Still, your guess is as good as mine!" Pikachu knew what was happening to Ash, since he and all other Pokémon in the area could feel it. (He has discovered the potential in side him. The potential of the Chosen One!) In his native tongue, Pikachu yelled, "Take her down, Ash! Show her who she's dealing with!"

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**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	9. The Chosen One's Wrath

The battlefield had become eerily quiet except for the sound of energy swirling around Ash's body. No one could understand what had happened to him except for Neo. However, he was still unconscious and was in no shape to fight, or speak. Latios and Latias were also in no shape to aid their loved one against Black Tulip, who had energized herself with Shadow energy.

(This punk has been a thorn in my side long enough. Wait a second...) She noticed that Ash was standing right in front of Neo, Latias, and Latios, who were lying on the ground behind him. (He just made it too easy! It's like shooting fish in a barrel! I'll take all four of them out with one shot! And to make things even easier, his other companions over there will be caught in the blast as well, leaving no eyewitnesses!) Ash cast his hat to the sidelines as Black Tulip raised an arm at him. A sly smirk came across her lips. "You should have let me do my job, punk. Now, you're all dead!"

A massive blast of Shadow energy came from her palm and enveloped Ash and his three loved ones! May, Max, Pikachu, and Brock were frozen to the spot with a combination of terror and sorrow as they saw their friends annihilated in one horrifying blast. May could feel tears streaming down her face as she waited for the smoke to clear. She was certain that Ash and the others were dead by now.

Black Tulip could see a massive reward waiting for her in her mind. However, when the smoke began to clear, she was confused to see that the three other children and that Pikachu were still standing. (Weird. That blast should have reached them too.) When the smoke cleared completely, everyone was stunned to see Ash and his three companions seemingly no more injured than before! May felt nothing but relief and joy that Ash was still OK. However, he was in a hunched position, with his arms in a cross-shaped guard, covering his face.

A moment later, Ash suddenly lowered his arms down to his sides and let out a wail! A bright golden flash covered his body! When it receded, Black Tulip was shocked to see that his hair was a shining silver color! After he stared at her with a look most intimidating, Ash let out an unusually long yell. Suddenly, he slammed Black Tulip with eight extremely heavy blows, the last one sending her over the horizon! Wasting no time, he FLEW after her! After the four of them stood there with their mouths almost touching the ground in disbelief, Brock broke the silence. "Uh, Max? Isn't Pallet Town in the direction they're heading?!" Max fumbled the PokeNav out of his pocket and checked. "*gulp* Yeah, it is!" May added, "Let's wait for him to come back. They still need our help!" She pointed to Neo, Latias, and Latios.

After a few seconds of soaring through the air, Black Tulip regained control and set herself upright, only to find Ash in her face! After a short combo, Ash used nothing more than his voice to send her down into Professor Oak's Pokémon enclosure! The moment all the Pokémon noticed Ash and Black Tulip, they began cheering for their future savior. Black Tulip bounced off the ground and fell victim to another barrage of beatings from Ash. However, she managed to get behind Ash and slammed him towards a large storage shed! Ash managed to land sideways on the wall and rammed Black Tulip when she closed in! They began heading to Professor Oak's lab!

Inside the lab in the residential area, Tracey was handing out lunch to Ash's Phanpy, who was still just an infant! He also tried to cheer up Bayleef, who was heartbroken since her trainer, who she had been madly in love with, left her behind when he left for the Hoenn region five months ago. She had always hoped that he loved her too. She even refused Bulbasaur's help. Bayleef had decided that if Ash wouldn't be her first, then she would stay a virgin for the rest of her life. As she began to nod off for a nap, something crashed through the wall! Tracey and Phanpy were nearly scared out of their skins when it happened. When the dust settled, they saw a woman dressed in black lying down in the rubble, while a mysterious youth walked through the gaping hole in the wall.

"What the?! Is that you, Ash?!" Tracey was sure that this kid looked like Ash. However, he didn't answer. Bayleef knew who it was, even though his eyes and hair looked different since she last saw him. Even Phanpy knew that this stranger was his Dad. Before Black Tulip could get up, Ash knocked her onto her feet and towards the hole in the wall. When he tried to attack her again, she just punched away. Then, Ash blasted her with sonic waves projected from his aura! The last one, which looked like a solar flare, sent Black Tulip flying out of the house! She then went airborne and knocked Ash around for a moment, allowing her Shadow energy to flow freely. However, Ash was in a league of his own. He grabbed her by the foot and began to swing her around and around! After a few sickening minutes, Black Tulip slipped out of her boot! The massive G-forces sent her soaring back towards the group half a mile from Pallet Town! By this time, Latias and Latios and woken up, but Neo was still sawing logs.

When the gang saw Black Tulip falling towards them, everyone ran for cover, but Neo couldn't notice. As it turned out, she fell right into him! He partially woke up and said, "SNNNRRRKKKK... Come on, Ash. Isn't it a holiday right now?" Black Tulip looked down at Neo, "Heh, you're next after I handle that brat." Ash came swooping in, but Black Tulip flew into the air. She wanted to end this fight without any distractions. She went on the defensive, taking blows while waiting for the right chance to take Ash out. Finally, after being knocked around like a punching bag, she got her chance. She was sent flying with a powerful jab and once she was out of sight, Black Tulip teleported behind Ash! To everyone's horror, she laid a flurry of energy blasts all over Ash's body. It was pretty, the blasts were a rainbow of colors, but it was very painful. When the rainbow flashes ended, Black Tulip finished with a powerful blast of Shadow energy to Ash's face! An explosion occurred, followed by Ash falling to the ground on his face.

Ash climbed to his feet when Black Tulip warped above him. Before they could do anything, Neo slammed her away! His eyes were that scary red color again. Latias and Latios flew over to them. Latias embraced Ash tearfully, "I was afraid I would wake up to find you dead!" Latios spoke, "Be strong, sister. She's not done yet." Neo glanced at all of them and nodded. "Let's take it to her." All four of them flew towards Black Tulip!

Latias and Latios went first. They performed another simultaneous Dragon Claw attack. Black Tulip stopped them with a shield of Shadow energy, just like before. "You'll have to do better than that!" She sent the shield at them again! A bright flash followed the usual boom and when she could see again, Black Tulip was shocked to see the two Pokémon on the ground below her in defensive stances! In front of her was Neo, staring into her eyes with intense bloodlust. Wasting no time, Neo started what would be the defeat of the heartless Rocket. He slammed her away with an elbow jab and teleported ahead of her. He then clothes lined her back to the group, where Ash started playing Ping-Pong with Neo using Black Tulip as the ball! A few seconds later, Neo sent her flying straight up. Ash caught up to her and slammed her back down to his companions. Before Black Tulip hit the ground, she was sandwiched between a Mist Ball and Luster Purge from Latias and Latios! She tried to get a hold of herself as she levitated a few feet of the ground, but Neo sent her flying up towards Ash with a reverse ax kick!

When Black Tulip became parallel with Ash, Neo Teleported up to them and began double-teaming on her with Ash. Then, Latios and Latias performed a double Skull Bash on her from below! Ash and Neo then slammed her back down to the ground where the two Eon Pokémon were waiting. Using Dragon Claw and Slam, the two siblings caused Black Tulip great pain before sending her back up to their brother and friend for another righteous beating. The two Superpowers then began the Pinball routine all over again and sent her down towards Latias. She then thrust her claws right up into Black Tulip's abdomen, holding her up for her sweetheart to attack! Ash slammed into Black Tulip from the side, and then sent her back to the group. It was time for the big finish.

All at once, the four fighters attacked Black Tulip at light speed, heavily distorting the light around them. When they sent her upwards one last time, Neo Teleported up above and knocked her towards Ash, who sent her towards, Latios, who then sent her towards Latias, who slammed Black Tulip in the middle of them all. Ash and Neo slammed into her simultaneously and backed away when Latios and Latias attacked her again with their signature moves. After that, Black Tulip was barely conscious and began to fall to the ground. However, Ash kicked her back up in the air for one last punishing attack! When she was at the top of her climb, Black Tulip was right in front of Neo, who was charging up energy in both hands for a Hyper Beam! "I'll be surprised if you can survive this! Let's see if your luck is as great as your allies'! SAY GOOD NIGHT!" He then blasted her, point blank, with a Hyper Beam that was just as deadly as the one he had used against Team Rocket two weeks earlier! Black Tulip was bulldozed into the forest by the Hyper Beam; the only thing keeping her alive was the Shadow energy in her body. After the blast dissipated, what appeared to be Black Tulip's corpse fell into the forest. (Looks like she got lucky. It would seem that Shadow energy is something to be feared.)

Neo dropped back to the ground and shot a menacing look at Team Rocket, who were still hiding at the edge of the forest. Before he could say anything, they were gone. When they found Black Tulip, she was unconscious the remaining Shadow energy seeping out of her body, like steam. As they carried her to the balloon, James spoke, "When that plan went up in smoke. You think there is any way to capture XD-385?" Meowth added, "I think dat twerp we've always been trying to steal Pikachu from is the really big problem now. I'm not going after him again if we have to go through that twerp!" Just then, Black Tulip regained consciousness and felt the soreness take her body. "Grrrr, I can't believe that I lost to a bunch of freaks. Hey, who's carrying me anyway?" Jessie replied, "Oh, it's just us! You were really lucky that XD-385 didn't kill you." James added, "Yeah, but that Shadow energy is really something we can rely on! Do you think it can be used for anything?" Something came across Black Tulip's mind, "I think I know how to capture him. You're right, that Shadow energy is the key! As soon as I can walk again, tell the Boss I need to see him. Next time, that bioweapon will be as good as ours! And I'll be sure to kill that punk first!"

It took some coaxing to get everyone except Pikachu to approach Ash after the fight. Ash's eyes had returned to their normal appearance and his aura and golden flame had disappeared, but his hair was still silver. Neo reassured them that it would return to its original raven color in a few minutes. "Man, what a rush! I really showed her whose number one, huh?!" Max yelled, "Yeah, but just what happened to you back there?! You were on fire, you were super strong and super fast, and you could fly! How did you do that?!" Neo butted in, "I'll explain that. What you just saw was the first stage of Ash's true potential. It is truly unique for humans. However, he is the only one who is capable of achieving that divine state, a state that is truly worthy of the Chosen One. At his strongest, Ash's strength, speed, and all other abilities will surpass my own. When the day comes for you to complete your destiny, DO NOT hesitate to use your full power, master. You will need it in order to survive!" Latios asked, "Do you mean that he will gain all of your abilities and more?!" Neo looked at him funny, "I didn't say that. I just said that he will surpass me in all forms. I didn't say he would gain my abilities." "Oh."

As they continued walking to Pallet Town, Latias held on to Ash a little tighter than normal. "Hey, you're not scared of me, are you?" His hair had returned to its original color by now. Latias replied, "No, I just feel safe by you. After what you did today, how could I not feel secure next to you?" However, May had made up her mind after seeing Ash nearly die at the hands of Black Tulip. It would be difficult to get Latias permission, but she was not going to accept losing Ash before he became her first. She would have to keep it a secret from her parents as well as Ash's Mom, but this might be the last night that she would have the chance. Ash was also going to have to explain how he put a massive hole in the side of Professor Oak's house. (*Gulp* I'm not looking forward to that!) What was more, how was he going to explain to his Mom that his fiancé wasn't even human? He prayed that her loving personality would let her accept Latias for who she was.

Meanwhile, at a secret location, Black Tulip was speaking with Giovanni through an intercom; she couldn't wait till she could walk to a phone. "That is why. If I'm going to capture that freak, I need new weapons that use Shadow energy. A mechanical armor suit powered by Shadow energy would be ideal." Giovanni replied, "I'll see if it can be done. That energy is very unstable, so I can make no guarantees." He broke the link after that. He then began brainstorming. "Hmmmm. If that energy can power machines, what could it do to living creatures? Maybe..." He contacted one of his lead researchers. He then explained a plan to him, in case they were faced with an absolute last resort if nothing else succeeded in this objective. An omnipotent being empowered by immense concentrations of Shadow energy, with Giovanni being the test subject.

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**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	10. A Dream Cum True

Ash and the gang were just 5 minutes from Pallet Town and tensions were high, except for Neo, who was humming Eye of the Tiger. May was gathering the courage to ask Latias a forbidden favor, Ash was worried about what his Mom would do when he would tell her that his fiancé wasn't even human, even though he was sure Neo wouldn't let her harm him.

"So master, what is your Mom like?" May, Max, Latios and Latias listened in. "Well, she has always been very caring for me. A little carefree, I guess. She's all business when it comes to my safety. Her cooking is really good too. I think it's her hobby." Neo had a good feeling about her now. He was sure that with some explaining, she would accept Latias as a Daughter-in-Law.

Just as they reached the town, Ash was shocked to see all his Pokémon rushing from Professor Oak's lab towards them! Bulbasaur, Totodile, Heracross, Snorlax, Muk, Kingler, Pidgeot, Cyndaquil, Noctowl, Bayleef, Phanpy, and that whole herd of Tauros came running and flying towards their friend and savior. Ash got a little scared of being trampled by the herd of Tauros and hid behind Neo. "I gotcha." Neo stood his ground and, sure enough, the Pokémon stopped as soon as they noticed Neo's odd scent. They took an aggressive mood to him, but were calmed down when Ash told them that he's OK. As soon as he stepped out from behind Neo, all the Pokémon swarmed Ash, they were just too happy to see him again!

Ash had a hard time squeezing through the front door of his house with all his smaller Pokémon clinging to him. He practically fell through the doorway! Finally, he yelled, "All right! Everyone OFF!" They did as he said and stood at attention, except for Phanpy. He just didn't know better. When Phanpy spoke, Ash was surprised to hear his otherwise alien language in English! "Why are you home so soon, Daddy? Were you worried about Grandma?" Ash looked at him with a funny look on his face. Finally, he answered, "Uh, no. I just, er, was in the area and, uh, wanted to stop by and say hi." "Oh. OK!" Latias heard everything that Phanpy said and spoke to Ash with a very pained look on her face. "Ash, was I really your second? Phanpy called you "Daddy". Does that mean you love someone else?!" Ash understood why she was upset and embraced her. "Of course not. He was hatched from an egg I got in a race. He called me Daddy because I hatched him." Latias let out a sigh of relief and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Bayleef was shocked to hear what she just heard. Latias was Ash's first?! She could feel her heart break and ran upstairs to Ash's room. She had lost the boy she loved forever to a Pokémon she had never met before. Ash noticed her crying as she ran upstairs and excused himself from the group. When he got up to his room, he found Bayleef sobbing on his bed and he had a hunch he knew why. He gently seated himself next to her and gathered the courage to ask her why she was so upset.

"Bayleef, why are you crying?" She didn't answer. He set his hand on her shoulder. Bayleef responded with a Vine Whip to Ash's hand. "Go away! Go be with your sweetheart!" Ash asked again, "Bayleef, please tell me why you're crying. Was it something I did?" She began to cry even harder. Ash tried to calm her down by grabbing her up in his arms. Bayleef tried to break free, but was stunned when Ash kissed her on her lips! Could it be that the boy she loved also loved her?

"That's for the one you gave me when you were still a Chikorita. Now tell me why you were crying." Bayleef answered, "I'm upset because I lost you to someone else. I fell in love with you when you risked your own life to save me from a snowstorm. Even after what I put you through, you never tried to hurt me back. That is why I came with you. I always hoped that you would take me as your mate. I don't want to mate with anyone but you. Now I'll never have the chance." She began crying again. Ash had always suspected that Bayleef loved him more than his other Pokémon in some way, but not like this. As he played back her confession in his mind, he realized that he loved her a great deal as well. He got up and left Bayleef to speak with Latias.

After he explained the situation with Latias, she answered with, "What do you think we should do?" Ash then whispered something in her ear while blushing heavily. Latias jerked away from him in disbelief, "YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!" Neo glanced over to the couple and listened in carefully. Ash replied, "I just want Bayleef to know that I love her as much as I love you. Please Latias, just this once. I'll never ask you to let me do it again." Latias tried to think this over. After a moment, she answered, "OK, just this once. However, you have to promise me that it will be me you will marry someday!" Neo busted a gut when he heard that! Ash comforted her, "I made that promise to myself when I first fell in love with you."

Just then, Delia Ketchum returned from grocery shopping to find the living room filled with Ash's Pokémon! "I thought sleepovers happen only on the weekends! You're all a few days early, everyone!" She walked into the kitchen where Mimey was preparing some dinner for the guests. Brock was helping out while May and Max set out the silverware and plates. After introductions were made, Mrs. Ketchum asked where Ash was. Neo had to lie to her and told her that he was napping in his room and did not want to be disturbed.

Ash stepped into his room and sat down next to Bayleef, who had finally stopped crying. "Bayleef, I have good news." Bayleef asked, "What could possibly be good news to me?" Ash embraced her, "I love you. I also had a talk with Latias. I know that you wouldn't be my first, but she agreed to let me be YOUR first." Bayleef felt her heart leap with joy! Did she hear that right? "Ash, say that again!" "I love you, Bayleef. I would also be glad to be your first." Bayleef gave Ash an unexpected and fierce kiss, a kiss that she had wanted to give Ash for months. Ash broke the kiss and said, "We'll do it tonight. I've got some repairs to do at the lab." Bayleef remembered what happened earlier that day when he crashed through the wall.

Neo accompanied Ash to Oak's lab. "Uh, just for the record, what is this professor like?" Ash laughed, "Well, he's not like the ones who made you! He's the most recognized researcher in Pokémon in the world! I'm sure he would keep you a secret if he knew about your powers." When they got to the front door, Tracy welcomed his old friend back. "Wow! I thought that was you who crashed through that wall! Can you tell me how you were able to do that?" Neo remembered this guy from the day that Ash had to restore balance to nature in the Orange Islands. "I'll explain that." He told Tracy about Ash's destiny and outrageous potential. "Whoa. I had no idea that there was more to being the Chosen One than what happened in the Orange Islands! Also, that was just the first level of his potential?! I can't imagine how strong you'll be at full power!" They all had a good laugh at this. "By the way, can I make a sketch of you in that form?" Ash agreed.

Due to the possibility of the whole lab being destroyed in the process, they three friends went outside for the sketch. When they were a good distance from the lab, Tracy set up a sketchpad and took a seat. "I'm ready when you are, Ash!" Ash gave him a nod and tried to achieve the state he had reached only once before. The ground began to shake and a swirling golden aura began to circle around Ash, then it erupted into a golden flame! Ash's hair became a silver color again, but his eyes weren't bloodshot with rage this time. "Is this good?" Tracy was speechless. Neo said, "He says, "That's good. Hold that pose!" Tracy got to work on the picture and was done in a matter of minutes. The end result had little flame in it since it wouldn't stand still. However, Tracy managed to include the bolts of electricity that would circle his body every few seconds. "Wow, Ash. You almost look like a spirit from another world! I'm so psyched about this one that I'm going to color it later!" "AHEM!" Everyone turned around and saw the stern face of Professor Oak staring at them. Ash just blew his own cover by not powering down before he showed up. "Uh, how do you like this silver hairspray, Professor?"

Professor Oak dragged Ash by the ear back to the hole in the side of his lab. "I'm not sure how you did this, but I would very much appreciate it if you would repair any damage you cause to my lab, Ash" Neo stepped up, "Tch, let me handle it." With a wave of his arm, all the bricks that had been knocked out of the wall began to levitate! Piece by piece, they laid them selves down in their original positions. Neo then finished by using Mud Shot to squeeze mud into the gaps between the bricks and, using one finger, directed a Solarbeam along the mud in the cracks to dry it up into a type of cement. Professor Oak stared in disbelief, "Was that a Mud Shot and Solarbeam?" "Yeah, so do you have a problem with that?" Oak stuttered, "Um, no. It's just that I not used to seeing people who can use the moves of Pokémon." Neo glared at him, "When you say people, do you mean HUMANS?" Oak had a bad feeling about this, "Yes, I guess I meant to say humans." Neo looked at Ash as if to ask if it was OK for him to know. Ash nodded and Neo answered, "I'm not human. I'm all Pokémon."

Neo spent the next hour explaining everything that had happened to him over the last five months. "I see. I can understand why you didn't want to tell me that. Still, any friend of Ash is welcomed in Pallet Town. I'll keep what you said a secret from everyone." On their way home from the lab, Ash asked Neo, "Hey, Neo? Can you explain why I can understand what Pokémon say?" Neo answered, "Oh, that's easy. Ever since you unlocked some of your potential, all Pokémon languages sound like a language you know. This allows you to communicate with them much more easily than before." Ash laughed, "I don't really need that power when it comes to Latias or Latios, huh?!"

That night after dinner, Ash asked Neo for a favor. "Do you think you can make my room soundproof?" Neo was baffled why Ash wouldn't want anyone to hear what was happening in his room. "Well, sure I can." "Great. I need you in my closet, OK?" Neo followed Ash up to his room, where Bayleef was waiting. One look at her eyes and Neo knew what Ash had in mind. Neo got into the closet and made a box of Psychic force surround the room. "OK, no one can hear you scream now!"

Ash climbed into bed with Bayleef, who greeted him with a kiss. Their tongues swirled around each other. Bayleef was nearly crying out of joy. Bayleef then used her vines to undress Ash. Unlike with Latias, Ash was already aroused. Bayleef then asked after staring at his member for a moment, "Ash, darling? Could I do something first?" Ash stroked her face with his hand, "Go right ahead, just as long as it doesn't hurt." Bayleef lowered her head and took the whole thing into her mouth! She then began swirling her tongue around Ash's member, enjoying the unusual taste and odor. Ash still was not used to a girl doing that to him and tried to not laugh. It really tickled. After a moment, Ash let out a yell and had an orgasm. His seed was fired into Bayleef's mouth. The flavor was a bit sweet and salty and she enjoyed it thoroughly. Finally, she was ready. She had become very wet during the last part and was ready to lose her virginity.

Bayleef turned around and looked back at Ash. Ash had no experience in mounted lovemaking. However, he knew there was no way around it. He got on his knees and grabbed her hips. Bayleef was almost giddy with anticipation as she felt his member touch her vagina's lips. He slowly pushed into her, causing Bayleef to moan in deep pleasure. Just like with Latias, Ash stopped halfway in. Bayleef looked back at him and saw him looking at her with concern. "I don't want to hurt you Bayleef. Are you sure you want this?" Bayleef nodded and braced herself.

The moment Ash plunged through her hymen, Bayleef tried hard to not scream. A moment later, the pain had subsided and Bayleef was ready for what she wanted. Ash began thrusting back and forth, steadily speeding up over time. Just as she was about to orgasm, Bayleef screamed, "I LOVE YOU, ASH!" As if on cue, Ash fired his sperm into Bayleef's womb while she soaked his legs with her own love juices. Ash pulled out and collapsed next to his lover. "Wow, I had no idea that stuff could tire you out so much." Bayleef had more energy than Ash and lay down next to him. "You have made me happier than ever before, Ash. I just wish that the chances of us having children were higher." She followed with a loving kiss. Ash embraced his lover and said, "I love you, but Latias is my true soul mate. I don't think she will let this happen twice." Bayleef embraced him with her vines and said, "That's fine. I can live knowing you were the only boy who made love with me. Just promise me you will never keep me from your side ever again." Ash counted in his head how many Pokémon he had with him. "I promise. I have only five Pokémon with me so I can keep you with me. Good night, Bayleef." Bayleef whispered into her lover's ear, "Good night, my love." By this time, Neo had fallen asleep in the closet.

Meanwhile, in the guest room, May had made a similar request to Latias. "WHAT?! NO WAY! I already made a promise with Ash about Bayleef. I don't want to risk losing him to someone else." May cried a little and said, "I'm sorry. I was just desperate this time. I promise that I'll respect that you are soul mates from now on." She then left for a stroll around Pallet Town. She felt that Ash was the only boy in the world for her, but maybe she would find someone else.

Meanwhile, in the secret labs of Team Rocket, the researchers had made a break through in Shadow energy research. They were able to detect massive amounts of Shadow energy in one spot, somewhere in the Orange Islands. Giovanni immediately dispatched a platoon of elites to find the source. "If we are lucky, it might be the source of all Shadow energy." Just then, he got word from Black Tulip, who was leading the expedition. They had found a stone tablet that had encryptions on an ancient ritual that had NEVER been performed because Lugia had destroyed the dark cult who created the ritual. After listening to the details, Giovanni gave the orders to return with whatever they could find there and thought, (This ritual sounds very similar to the project that is underway. If all goes well, I just might become a god! The world will be mine at last!)

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**_Pleas R&amp;R (Read and Review)._**


	11. Bioweapon VS Superclone

Ash woke up to a loud crashing sound near his bed. Bayleef also heard it and approached the closet, since the sound seemed to come from it. At Ash's signal, Bayleef opened the door and found Neo, who seemed to be heavily dazed. Ash asked, "Uh, are you OK? And what happened in there?" Neo shook his head to clear his vision and said, "I fell asleep and woke up when I sensed the sun rising. Next thing I know, I bump into something and your bowling ball falls off a shelf and onto my head. Now please get dressed. Breakfast should be ready soon." As Neo left the room, Ash noticed that he was still nude. Before he got dressed, he and Bayleef gave each other one last kiss, knowing that their first time together was also their last.

At the breakfast table, Delia brought up something Ash wasn't expecting, "So Ash, where are you going to have the wedding?" Ash nearly spewed the milk he was drinking, "WHAT?! Mom, I'm only twelve years old!" Delia chuckled, "Yes, but you have a very sweet girlfriend." Ash thought to himself, (Wait... I never told her that! How did she find out!?) Latias spoke, "I told her, Ash." He looked at her with milk dripping from his face. "She gave us her blessings, Ash! I explained how we came to love each other and she understands!" Ash looked at Delia, "Mom, is it true?" Delia smiled, "Of course it's true. She has everything that I would love in a daughter-in-law and I couldn't help loving how she swooned over the photos of you in our photo album!" Everyone busted out laughing at this remark. Ash couldn't have been happier now that his Mom accepted Latias for what she is. Delia added, "Also, Latios makes a very handsome son-in-law." Latios blushed at that compliment.

After breakfast, Ash said goodbye to his Pokémon and allowed Bayleef to come with them, as promised. Bayleef even became a good friend of Latias, so there were no hard feelings from the night before. Still, Bayleef never thought that Neo would Transform into a Lugia. When she refused to get on board, Ash said that she would have to stay in her Poke ball for the flight. Bayleef refused and climbed aboard. "Yo, Max! What's our next destination?!" Max pulled out the PokeNav, "How about Drizzle City?" Neo yelled back, "What kind of name is that?!" Brock answered, "I hear it's a city that tends to have a lot of rainfall, hence the name." "Oh, OK! Now hold on!" With a mighty flap of his wings, Neo took to the sky for the Hoenn region. Bayleef marveled at how fast they were flying and yet they were not being blown off.

In a few hours, they passed Forttree City. "Hey Bayleef, Latias, Latios! We'll be flying over the crash site of my prison soon! Look down and see!" When they flew over it, the three of them saw it. Bayleef yelled, "It looks like it's become a tourist attraction!" When Neo looked down to check, he got a shocking surprise. There were humans inspecting it, but not any humans. They were members of Team Magma! "Oh no... Now they know I'm back..." About half a mile from Drizzle City, Neo set everyone down and changed to his normal form.

May shouted, "OK, let's get going!" Neo stopped them, "Guys, we need to talk." Everyone looked at him with concern. "Those tourists at the crash site we passed over? They were members of Team Magma." Ash spoke, "Weren't they the guys who created you?!" Neo grimly nodded, "Yes, and now that they know I have returned, it is likely that they will try to recapture or destroy me. Things may get dangerous from here on in, so please watch yourselves." The group then continued to Drizzle City.

As they got closer, the gang noticed that in was raining. Latios joked, "I guess they call it Drizzle City for a reason. Now what could it be? Oh, it's all around us!" Everyone laughed. When they came to the city gates, they found a news stand with a special feature about a star attraction in Drizzle City. Brock read it out loud, "There are rumors that a mysterious Pokémon lives in the city, but it only moves at night. Hmmm, what could it be? Huh? Neo, are you OK?" Neo seemed very tense for some reason. He was trembling violently. Ash got his attention, "Hey, if something's wrong we'll go through the city as soon as possible." Neo answered, "Sorry. I thought I sensed something. That's all."

Latias pulled Ash away from the group after they decided to meet up at the Pokémon Center. "Let me guess, a Date?" Latias grinned, "You guessed right." Of course, Neo followed. After an hour of walking around in the rain, the trio rested in a park. Ash and Latias just leaned against each other to keep themselves warm, while Neo watched from the sides. Suddenly, he felt a familiar presence on a rooftop somewhere on the other side of the city. He tried to ignore it, but his intense hatred of the source made it difficult. Ash noticed that something was wrong with Neo. "Neo? Are you feeling OK?" Finally, Neo could take it no longer. He turned around and pointed to a rooftop in the distance. "YOU!" He then Teleported away, leaving Ash and Latias wondering who he saw.

Several months had passed since Mewtwo arrived in the Hoenn region to live a life of solitude. His mind would often trail back to the time in the Johto region when Ash Ketchum, the only human he trusted, saved his life, even though Mewtwo had killed him several months before that. He had tried to remove that memory, but didn't mean he had succeeded. At times he felt he wanted to see the child who spared his life. He even wondered if he would ever see him again at all. As he shielded himself from the rain with his cloak, Mewtwo sensed someone standing about twenty feet behind him! He was surprised to see that the sneak was a human with Ruby red hair and Sapphire blue eyes. Mewtwo's sense of smell was not much better than a humans' so he couldn't notice the boy's odd scent. However, he could feel a bizarre power within him.

"I don't know how you found me, but I suggest you don't mention me to anyone down there." The human took a step forward. Mewtwo yelled, "Are you challenging me?!" Finally, the human spoke, "You bet I am. I've been waiting for this chance to take you down after what you did." Mewtwo looked skeptical, "Take me down? Just try it." The human replied, "That's what I can't stand about you. You have always believed that you are the strongest, that no one can beat you. Well, I think it's about time for you to realize that your claim to the title has expired! You will pay for what you did to my master!" Mewtwo laughed, "HA! So you came here to fight me?!" The human was silent for a moment, and then said in a tone most serious, "No. I came here to kill you."

Mewtwo was slightly intimidated by the threat that the human boy had given him. This human was going to kill him? In an instant, the boy's hair turned Sapphire blue! He was also surrounded by a blue aura. His eyes had become icy cold. "You're dead." He raised a hand to Mewtwo and fired a Fire Blast from it! Mewtwo jumped off the building and levitated to evade the blast, which was extinguished by the rain after a moment. (That was a Fire Blast! What is this freak?!) Suddenly, the human was right behind Mewtwo and backhand punched down to the park where Ash and Latias were relaxing.

"Ash, what do you think Neo was so upset about? I've never seen him so angry before." Before Ash could reply, something crashed into the ground in front of them! Covered in mud, Mewtwo climbed to his feet. He did not know that Ash was behind him. Ash then saw Neo drop out of the sky in front of Mewtwo. Mewtwo then yelled at Neo, "That's it. You want a fight? Then let's begin!" He then cast aside his cloak. Neo made a dash at Mewtwo and Mewtwo did the same. When they reached each other, they locked hands, trying to get the upper hand. They allowed their power to overflow, causing their purple and blue auras to clash against each other! Bits of the ground were being blown away by the sheer release of energy! Neo then noticed Ash behind Mewtwo. (I can't risk Ash getting hurt. I'd best take this fight elsewhere.)

Neo let go of his opponent's hands and went airborne. Mewtwo followed and began to attack physically. The two fighters were a real sight to behold. They were moving so fast that they almost seemed to be blurs. Finally, Mewtwo thought up an effective, but dishonorable tactic. He broke away from Neo and flew straight up at high speed. Neo followed. At about one mile up, Mewtwo began gathering energy for a Shadow Ball. Neo was flying right at him when he noticed something. The amount of energy Mewtwo was gathering was too much. If that shot missed Neo, it would annihilate the city! Mewtwo shouted, "It's over!" and then launched the Shadow Ball straight down at Neo! Neo thought, (It would seem that old habits really do die hard.) He took the blast head on to prevent it for hitting the ground. A massive explosion occurred in the sky above Drizzle City. Ash watched in horror as Neo was blown clear of the city limits and into a rocky area. "Latias, we have to go after him!" Ash climbed onto Latias and they flew to the area where Neo was supposed to be.

Mewtwo reached Neo first. He was dazed from the Shadow Ball attack and had reverted to his normal state. When Mewtwo landed near him, all Neo could think about was how much he wanted to destroy him. "I hate you...I HATE YOU!" As his hatred reached its peak, Neo felt something dark in his body, something he feared. "No... Not now!" He clutched his head and bent over backwards. He could feel it, the psychotic bloodlust that was always in the back of his mind! He let out a scream and hunched over. Mewtwo was curious when he saw that Neo's canine teeth had slightly extended and his eyes had turned completely white. With a roar, a massive surge of energy rushed out of his body, causing a geyser of air to explode out of the ground below him! After a moment, a second bigger blast pulverized the ground under Neo! Pillars of earth began jutting up all around them and collapsing! A bright flash of blue and red light emanated from his body, followed by the roar of a beast!

Ash and Latias had no problem locating Neo due to the crazy activity that was happening outside of Drizzle City. The shifting landscape stood out like a sore thumb. When they landed, the beacon of two colors began to fade, revealing XD-385's most dangerous and psychotic form yet. A swirling red and blue aura swirled around him; his hair had become Ruby red on one side and Sapphire blue on the other. His eyes were just like his hair, they were different colors on each side. Mewtwo could feel this otherworldly power. It was monstrous, almost pure evil! It was the only thing that had ever frightened him. Finally, XD-385 spoke, "Brother, I'll start the carnage with you! Fwah hah ha ha ha ha ha haa!"

The crazed Destroyer made a dash at Mewtwo and slammed him with a hard uppercut! Mewtwo was knocked back into his senses and decided to show this freak who he was dealing with. He fired a flurry of stars using Swift, knowing that they wouldn't miss. Neo just plowed right through them! Was he invincible?! Out of desperation, Mewtwo began launching a barrage of Shadow Balls at Neo, who was flying towards him. Each Shadow Ball created a cloud of smoke on impact, so he couldn't tell if he was doing any damage or not. He soon had his answer as Neo emerged out of the smoke in front of Mewtwo's face! Neo grabbed him by the face and threw him straight into the ground! Mewtwo tried to use Psychic on Neo, but it didn't even affect him! He had changed his body's composition to a Dark type Pokémon!

To Mewtwo's surprise, Neo flew straight into the ground and implanted his fist into it! Just then the ground began to heat up. Suddenly, Mewtwo was engulfed by magma in a massive Eruption attack! He managed to avoid the worst injuries by creating a barrier around himself. Then, Neo used Mega Punch and broke right through the barrier! He then began using Extreme speed to ram Mewtwo from all directions at supersonic speed! After that, he used Seismic Toss to bring Mewtwo down hard! Mewtwo Teleported behind Neo and tried to nail him with an Iron Tail, but Neo had no intention of letting Mewtwo fight back. In the blink of an eye, Neo was several feet behind Mewtwo, as if time stood still. Mewtwo let out a scream of agony as he clutched his left arm. Neo had broken it in an instant! Mewtwo turned to face Neo, just as Latias and Ash arrived on the scene.

Neo began to approach Mewtwo slowly while chuckling manically. Mewtwo was frozen with terror. For another painfully agonizing 20 seconds, Neo pounded Mewtwo with nothing more than his fists. He finally smacked Mewtwo away with the back of his hand, causing him to land on his face. Neo then walked over to the superclone, who was in too much pain to move. He looked up at the monster who was about to kill him. The rain was spreading his blood all around him.

Neo spoke, "This is what happens to murderers. Such a shame that the only human who saved your own life was mercilessly slaughtered by your own hands. You have no right to live, Brother." As he raised his foot over Mewtwo's head to crush it, something caught his eye. Tears were falling from Mewtwo's eyes. (He's crying? Impossible. He must be trying to deceive me.) "Nice try, but that old trick won't fool m-what?!" Someone grabbed Neo from behind! He recognized the sneak as his Master! Ash was crying out, "Don't kill him! Please Neo! Don't hurt him anymore!" Neo stood there wondering if it was the right thing to spare someone who murdered the Chosen One. His intense bloodlust disappeared and Neo's hair became all red again. Both of his eyes returned to their usual blue color as well.

"Master, I must ask. Why do you want me to spare someone who murdered you in the past?" Ash replied in tears, "He's my friend and I don't care whether he killed me or not. I don't even remember if he killed me, but he's not evil. Please don't kill him. Please..." Neo sighed and lowered his foot to the ground. Ash was truly a very forgiving person, maybe too forgiving. "Fine. Well, let's get you some help. And I'm not taking "NO" for an answer." Neo gently placed his brother on Latias's back. "Get him to the Pokémon Center. Brock knows Mewtwo and so does Bayleef. Also, make sure he doesn't fall off on the way over." Latias replied, "No one has ever fallen off me before and it won't happen this time, either."

As Latias flew off with Mewtwo, Ash and Neo headed back to Drizzle City on foot. Ash wanted Neo to tell him why he wanted to kill Mewtwo so much. "I suppose, for revenge. Not for myself, but for you. There was a terrible storm over a year ago and you came to a place called New Island. Mewtwo had caused the storm and had tricked Trainers like you into coming there. The only reason for that was to create so-called "Superclones" of your Pokémon, since they seemed to be of high caliber. An all-out battle ensued between the original Pokémon and their clones. They attacked each other without any regard of their own survival. Mewtwo was going head-to-head with his original, Mew. When it seemed that there was no end in sight, you charged into the middle of the arena, right into the path of the two fighters Psychic blasts. When they struck you simultaneously, I was cut off from your memory, meaning that your life had ended. Mewtwo murdered you with his own hands. That is why I tried to kill him. He tried to erase the memory of everyone who was there, but could not erase it from your subconscious memory. That is how I found out about that dark day." Ash remained silent for the rest of the walk.

When Ash and Neo arrived at the Pokémon Center, Ash ignored everyone and marched into the room where Mewtwo was recovering. He tried to hide his face from his savior, knowing he was not worthy to live. Ash took a seat next to him. Mewtwo nervously looked at him. "Mewtwo, is it true that you killed me over a year ago?" He began to cry again, "It is true. I was blind with hatred. Even after you were revived, I felt no guilt. However, after you saved me in the Johto region, I truly trusted you from that day forth. However, your death weighed on my mind. You saved me, twice, while I had killed you once before. I only discovered just before you saved me a second time that you are the Chosen One. Learning that caused no end to my shame. I murdered the most important person alive and you saved me twice. I'm not worthy of your forgiveness!" Mewtwo turned away from Ash and began to weep bitterly.

Ash placed a hand on Mewtwo's shoulder and said, "I think you deserve a second chance. I still see you as a friend. What do you say? Would you like to stay with me?" Mewtwo faced Ash again and quickly embraced him. "You gave my life meaning. I'll stay by your side forever, my friend. Thank you for being so accepting. I'll always love you as a friend. I promise." Ash replied, "Sounds good to me. Say, is there room for two in this bed?" Mewtwo checked the clock. It was very late now. "Yes. Just a moment, please." Mewtwo carefully moved himself over a little so Ash could climb in with him. Ash pulled the covers over both of them and embraced his new friend. "Good night, Mewtwo." Mewtwo replied, "Good night, Chosen One." Ash fell asleep in the powerful embrace of the superclone, Mewtwo. He could feel it. Mewtwo was certain that this friendship would last an eternity. He only hoped his wounds would heal soon enough for him to leave Drizzle City with Ash and his group.


	12. The Power of Emerald

The morning after XD-385 nearly killed Mewtwo, May walked into the room where Mewtwo was supposed to be in the Pokémon Center. What she saw made her giggle. Ash was sleeping in the same bed as Mewtwo, while Mewtwo had him in a loving embrace. He also had a gentle grin on his face, probably the first one he ever had.

As May approached them, Mewtwo awoke to the feeling of someone he did not know. "Stop. Do not come any closer. Who are you?" May did as he said and answered, "I'm May. I'm a friend of Ash." Mewtwo sighed, "Sorry. I do not trust humans that I don't know. However, since you're a friend of his, I can trust you." May walked over to him and said, "That's OK. By the way, you two seem to make a cute couple." Mewtwo blushed at the position he was in, "We are not a couple! I just love him very much. But not in the way you are thinking of!" May's laughter woke Ash up. "Morning, Mewtwo." He then gave him a gentle hug, being careful not to harm him since his wounds had not completely healed yet. May grinned, "Are you sure you're not a couple?" Ash and Mewtwo yelled at her to leave.

A few minutes later, Ash met his companions in the lobby. Latias greeted him with a kiss, as did Bayleef. Brock asked, "How's Mewtwo?" Ash answered, "The nurse says he won't be able to walk for a week at least. But I'm not leaving without him. I hope you guys understand that." Neo walked past him saying, "I'll fix that." After he went through the door, Latias asked, "Do you think he's going to try to kill him again?" Ash shook his head, "Nah. He wouldn't hurt him unless I said he could."

When Neo entered the room where Mewtwo was, Mewtwo became frozen with fear all over again. He was in no shape to defend himself. "Chill, bro. I didn't come here to hurt you. I came here to heal you. Big difference." Mewtwo calmed down only slightly, but became frightened when his brother grabbed his arm. "Do not move." A gentle glow engulfed them both. Mewtwo could feel his bones heal and rejoin. His bruises disappeared. He also didn't feel sore anymore. "That was Recover. Now come. Ash is waiting for you."

Ash was surprised to see his two friends walk out through the door to the recovery room side by side. "Hey, Mewtwo! So you're not scared of Neo anymore?" Mewtwo rolled his eyes, "Well, maybe just a little." Everyone laughed. Max checked the PokeNav. "It looks like our next stop is Lilycove City. There's also a Contest Hall, May!" May shrieked, "YES! My next contest! Let's go! C'mon!" Before they knew it, everyone was running to keep up and not slip on the wet streets of Drizzle City. Once they were a mile away, the weather cleared up. Mewtwo stayed close to Ash. Just being near him made him feel happy, an emotion he was not familiar with.

"Jessie, how long do we have to wait like this? My legs are tired and this heavy energy container on my back isn't helping!" Jessie replied, "Well, I don't like it much either, but whatever the Boss says goes. Now deal with it." Meowth added, "Easy for you to say! You really think I can move with this on me!?" Jessie shouted, "I know that it's heavy, but it is still just a prototype. The final product should be a lot lighter and smaller! Hmmm?" Jessie's radar was picking up a group of creatures approaching. "Looks like our target has just walked into our trap! Ready, boys?" James groaned, "Let's just get this over with before my back is thrown out!"

As they walked down the path to Lilycove City, Neo stopped everyone. "I can sense them. Looks like we are really popular with those three. And it looks like they've brought some friends." Team Rocket had no hope of moving quickly with the heavy packs, so they made a sneak attack. Out of the ground ahead of the group, a beam of strange energy was fired at the gang! Neo took the shot head on, but collapsed in extreme pain! "GRRRRRAAAAAHHHHHH! It's... Shadow energy!" Team Rocket climbed out of their hiding place, giving their signature group laugh. "Hah, it looks like we actually won this time, Jessie!" Neo climbed to his feet while clutching his chest, "You have guts showing up now. But you still can't win like this!" Jessie laughed, "I know. That's why we brought some backup! Come on out, boys!" 100 Rocket members rose out of the ground with camouflage covers on their backs! "You can't survive against all of us. Your only smart choice would to surrender and come with us. What is your decision?" Neo smirked, "How about, None of the Above! I have a little trick that I've wanted to try for awhile now. It's called, "Divide and Conquer!"

Suddenly, copies of Neo began to appear out of thin air and surrounded the group of Rockets! Max yelled, "Whoa! Is that Substitute?! How did he create so many?! I thought there can only be one at a time!" Mewtwo answered, "It must be because of the 385 species of Pokémon within him. He can create one Substitute for each specie." The Rockets were terrified of this sheer opposition. All the Substitutes spoke at once, "Have a nice flight!" They then created a massive Whirlwind that blew all of the Rockets away! Once they were out of sight, all of the Substitutes vanished in puffs of smoke, leaving Neo. To his surprise, all his companions applauded his performance, causing him to blush slightly. Without further incident, they moved on to Lilycove City.

Meanwhile, Team Magma leader Maxie had called for an emergency meeting with Team Aqua leader Archie. Archie spoke first, "You better have a good reason for calling me since we are on opposing sides." Maxie answered, "Indeed I do. It involves XD-385." Archie's face went pale, "Don't tell me he's back on Earth?!" Maxie nodded grimly. "We have discovered the wreckage of his containment pod outside Forttree City. It is believed to have crashed there about 2-3 weeks ago. Also, we have received disturbing reports that a criminal organization based in the Kanto region has made more than one attempt to capture XD-385." Archie yelled, "He's been on the loose for that long?! We have to take desperate measures! We can not allow his powers to fall into the hands of evildoers!" Maxie nodded, "I know. I also believe that the only ones who can stop him are the two Pokémon that we have been searching for. Kyogre and Groundon are the only ones that can destroy him. I have also received reports on a surefire way to awaked them. Apparently, they are sleeping below the ocean just outside Lilycove City. The moment they sense XD-385, they will focus all their strength on him." Archie replied, "What makes you so sure he will find them?" Maxie grinned, "We have reports that a teenage boy with Ruby red hair and Sapphire blue eyes and wearing green clothes is approaching Lilycove City. I'm certain that it's XD-385." Archie ended the meeting with a handshake, "I see. Let us join hands once more to destroy this threat to the world."

The next day, Ash and the gang arrived in Lilycove City. It was late, so they checked into a hotel. The next morning, May barely succeeded in wining her next contest ribbon against a trainer who used a Bellossom, giving Beautifly a major type advantage. It was still a close fight. Ash and Latias just spent their time with each other since Lilycove City was a favorite vacation spot for loving couples. They truly qualified as one. Mewtwo stayed with them to try to not stand out very much. Neo and Latios kept an eye on them to keep them safe.

"Archie, are you in position?" "Yes, but what about XD-385?" Maxie replied, "He's near the shoreline. It's the least populated area right now." "Good. Then let's begin." A moment later, two bright beams of light rose up from the ocean outside of Lilycove City! Ash noticed and asked Neo, "Was that you?!" Neo answered, "No! Those are not mine, even though they are the same color as my hair and eyes!" Just then, the water began to ripple heavily. After a moment, the two super ancient Pokémon, Kyogre and Groundon, rose out of the sea with a mighty roar from both of them! Neo couldn't believe it. Team Aqua and Team Magma had awakened these two extremely dangerous Pokémon to destroy him! "Master! Get away from here! I have to stop them!" The two Pokémon sensed his massive energy and shifted their gaze from each other to him.

Neo's hair turned blue again and he flew at his brothers. Groundon made the first move and tried to slash him with his massive claws! His large size made him a little slow though, so Neo had no trouble evading it. However, Kyogre landed a potent Sheer Cold attack on him! The intense drop in temperature would have rendered any other Pokémon unconscious, but Neo changed his Ability at the last second to Sturdy, causing the deadly ice blast to become useless. Neo then started to attack Kyogre with nothing but brute force in an attempt to knock him out. However, Groudon fired a Solarbeam at point blank into Neo from behind! He wasn't hurt that much, but was knocked back into the sandy beach. Just as he was getting up, a massive hole opened in the stormy sky!

"He's here, Rayquaza! Maybe he can calm them down!" As the mighty Sky Pokémon flew down to the Pokémon of the land and sea, he sensed the dangerous power within Neo. Rather than calm the two enraged Pokémon, Rayquaza ordered them to attack Neo all at once! "Well, THAT was wishful thinking!" By this time, all of his friends, as well as a large number of inhabitants of Lilycove City, had gathered on the cliff side and beach to watch this battle of the Superpowers. To Neo's horror, the three Pokémon began charging different types of energy in their mouths while in a triangle formation! Groundon was gathering heat energy, Kyogre cold energy, and Rayquaza lightning energy. Neo new this was more than a simple Tri Attack. The elements of Fire, Ice, and Lightning, when combined together in high enough concentrations, could be unleashed in a single blast known only in legend as the Big Bang Attack! Knowing that the blast would wipe out the city, Neo flew in front of a rocky area in the bay and began to charge up energy in both hands for a Hyper Beam attack. (This is it. If I can't stop this attack, it might be the last thing I ever do!)

Back on the cliff side, Mewtwo had set up a powerful barrier to defend his companions from any shrapnel. The energy coming from Neo was great, but the combined energy coming from the three super ancient Pokémon was enormous! Even if Neo entered that extremely psychotic form that he used against Mewtwo, he still wouldn't survive this attack if he took it head on!

The moment came. The three super ancient Pokémon gathered enough energy of the three elements to use the dreaded Big Bang Attack. Neo had also gathered as much energy as he could for his Hyper Beam attack. All at once, the four combatants fired! The Big Bang Attack was a rainbow of blue, yellow, and red. Neo's Hyper Beam was its typical orange color. When the two blasts collided, the shockwave was immense! It toppled street signs and other small formations. They four warriors struggled to push their opponent's attack back at them with their own. Neo was having a hard time. He had never been up against something like this! Even though he had the strength and potential of all three of his super ancient siblings, it made little difference now. Ash, Mewtwo, Latias, Latios,Bayleef, Pikachu, May, Max, and Brock looked on in horror as Neo struggled to push the massive blast away from him. Just when things looked like a stalemate, the three Pokémon unleashed even more power into the already deadly Big Bang Attack! Neo's Hyper Beam was being overwhelmed by this apocalyptic attack! Bit by bit, his Hyper Beam got shorter and shorter as the Big Bang Attack got closer and closer.

"I... CAN'T... STOP IT!" Neo let out a scream of sheer horror as the Big Bang Attack engulfed his Hyper Beam and then his body! The blast plowed into him, then into the rocks that jutted out of the sea behind him! The resulting explosion created hurricane winds that buffeted the people of Lilycove City! It only lasted a moment, but when the flash of light from the explosion receded, Ash felt a terrible sense of loss as he gazed at what was left after the blast. The rocks were gone and a large crater was being filled with sea water. There was no sign of Neo at all. Ash felt awful, but Latias, Latios, and Mewtwo felt even worse. They had lost one of the very few family members they had. Maxie and Archie breathed a huge sigh of relief. The Ultimate Bioweapon had finally been eradicated.

Ash sobbed, "I can't believe he's gone. He gave everything for us. Why would anyone want to kill him?!" Just then, Latios sensed something faint. Could it be? "Don't grieve just yet. I do not believe that he is done yet." Ash looked out to the crater and saw something rising out of it! Was it Neo?! Mewtwo yelled, "He lives! Our brother lives!"

Neo levitated over to the only stone pillar that was left standing and landed on top of it. He was a mess. Heavy burns and bruises covered his body and his uniform was in tatters. He gazed at the three Pokémon out on the ocean staring back at him. He then spoke softly, "I never wanted to go all out, but if I'm to live to defend my master, I must let go of the fear and achieve my true form!"

Everyone felt a very foreboding presence. Archie and Maxie were filled with horror over what they felt. It could only mean one thing. Neo began to search his soul for the power he needed. From the limits of Lilycove City, everyone saw a strange GREEN glow surrounding Neo's body! Pieces of the rock pillar began to break off and float up past Neo. The sky turned black and lightning began to strike all around him. Neo tilted his head up slightly and let out a yell. A second into the yell, intense green light began shining out of his eyes, his mouth, even his entire body! Suddenly, a bright flash of Emerald green light exploded out from him, followed by an even bigger explosion! A translucent Ruby red aura came from him, followed by a Sapphire blue one, and finally, a solid glowing orb of Emerald green light expanded from Neo's body! Then, it closed into him. When Ash could see his Guardian again, he was shocked to see that there was no blue or red on him! Instead, a fierce green aura circled his body constantly and his eyes and hair had become Emerald green! This was his true form, attained after unleashing 100% of his full potential!

Mewtwo was stunned, "What power... I estimate that he is at least 5X stronger than he was when he fought me! I concede. He is more powerful than me." Latias added, "I feel it too. None of us can match that." Latios thought to himself, (So this is the power that those lunatics were going to use to control this world. It would have worked, too. No one in their right mind would want to fight against something like him!)

Not the least bit intimidated, Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groundon began gathering power for another Big Bang Attack! This time, however, Neo just stood there. As soon as they were ready, they unleashed the unstoppable attack once again! Brock yelled, "NEO! Get out of the way! You know you can't stop it!" Just before it struck him, Neo sent the blast straight up into the sky with an upward swing of his right arm! His friends stared in awe. Max remarked, "Oh man... He's in a league of his own now!"

Neo extended a Leaf Blade from each of his forearms and flew at his brothers at high speed! When he got to them, they didn't stand a chance. With the ability to lay fifty slashes on EACH of them in one second, Neo was almost unstoppable. Finally, after 30 painful seconds, Neo proceeded to end the battle. He flew a good mile into the sky and began to gather energy into his right hand for a Selfdestruct attack. From the ground, the sky seemed to be turning green! Rayquaza made one last-ditch effort to nail Neo while he was busy. He fired the strongest Hyper Beam he could muster straight up at the bioweapon! However, Neo had predicted this and gathered more energy that was necessary. The Selfdestruct orb was a glowing ball of energy. Five seconds before the Hyper Beam reached him, Neo threw the ball of destructive energy straight down. The orb just plowed right through the Hyper Beam like a hot knife on butter. The people at Lilycove City watched in horror and awe as an orb of green energy about thirty feet in diameter came crashing down into the three Pokémon. The resulting blast was so massive that it could have been seen from space!

Ash looked on in disbelief. Had Neo killed them? The waves triggered by the blast washed the three legends up on the beach. They were just barely clinging to life. As Neo landed on the beach, everyone except his friends, fled in terror. Neo then did something unexpected. He used Wish on his three brothers. He then used Spore on Kyogre and Groundon to make sure they wouldn't wake up and try to kill him. He then threw them back into the ocean, so they could resume their slumber. Even though Groundon weighed over a ton, Neo had no trouble. Rayquaza woke up and saw his little brother using Recover to heal the wounds he had caused. Unlike the other two, Rayquaza was much more understanding and now knew that XD-385 was no threat to the world. After they said their goodbyes, Rayquaza flew away to keep watch for anymore signs of environmental unbalance.

When Ash and the gang reached Neo, he had calmed down enough that his aura had disappeared. At first, everyone but Ash was too afraid to get anywhere near him. However, they soon discovered that his personality in his true form was, unlike his three other forms, very levelheaded. Ash said, "Man, Neo. That was wild! So that is your strongest form?" Neo chuckled, "Yep, and you will someday be even stronger than me. However, I think we better get going. It looks like I caused quite a ruckus in town!"

In a moment, the group was cruising out of the bay of Lilycove City and towards Mossdeep City. Neo had Transformed into a Wailord so everyone would fit. As night fell, Ash wondered when and how he would become stronger than the Ultimate Bioweapon. He fell asleep in the loving embraces of his two lovers, Latias and Bayleef, as well as his newest and most loyal friend, Mewtwo. They would be in Mossdeep City by morning.


	13. The Darkness Within

As Neo in his Wailord form swam for Mossdeep City, his companions were napping on his back. He had just recently shown them his maximum power earlier when he was assaulted by Kyogre, Groundon, and Rayquaza. The sun was beginning to rise and Mossdeep could be seen on the horizon. However, there was only one way to wake everyone up.

Neo blew a Water Spout straight up, which rained down on his passengers, waking them up gently. Ash asked, "When did it start raining?" Neo answered, "I was just waking you guys up. Mossdeep is right ahead of us." He was right and everyone prepared to dock. Neo beached himself on the beach, then Transformed back into his normal form. It was too early for anyone to be up, so Neo was sure that no one saw him.

Ash wasted no time finding the Gym, which was used by the psychic duo of Liza &amp; Tate. "They use Psychic types, huh?" Latios spoke, "Ash, let me take this fight. You've done so much for me and my sister that it's the least I can do." Ash answered, "OK. I'm pretty sure you'll have your hands full." When they stepped inside, the place was pitch-black.

Two voices spoke at once, "Welcome to the Mossdeep Gym! Did you come to earn a Mind Badge?" The lights came on and Brock started drooling over the sight of the two Gym Leaders! "Ahem?" Brock looked to his left and saw Neo ready to bop him with a Bone Club. "Uh, sorry. I'll behave." The twin sisters asked, "Who is the challenger?" Ash stepped forward, "I am." "Then let us begin. This will be a 2-2 battle. Go, Solrock! Go, Lunatone!" The two Psychic Rock type Pokémon levitated in place. Latios whispered to Ash, "Do you really want me to take them on alone?" Mewtwo stepped forward, "Allow me. I wish to prove my loyalty to you and I have not gotten much action for a while." Ash answered, "OK. I'll battle with Latios and Mewtwo!" Neo spoke, "I'll referee." He stood at the side lines and shouted, "This is an official match for a Mind Badge! The Leaders, Tate &amp; Liza with Solrock and Lunatone, against the challenger, Ash Ketchum, who will battle with Latios and Mewtwo. There is no time limit. Let the match begin!" Latias spoke telepathically, "Be careful, Brother." Latios replied, "I will."

Mewtwo and Latios had never participated in a Double Battle before, so even though they were far more powerful than their opponents, Solrock and Lunatone had much more experience. They were also harder to predict, since their Trainers gave them commands via telepathy. Right after the start, Solrock tried to blast Mewtwo with a Flamethrower! He dodged it, but ran right into a Shadow Ball from Lunatone! "Grah, I'll make you pay for that!" As he made a dash for Lunatone, it used Sunny Day. "Hmph. Do you really thinka little sunshine will help you?" Mewtwo was then blindsided by a Solarbeam from Solrock! The intense sunlight allowed it to fire it without having to charge. Latios tried to attack Solrock while it was using Solarbeam, but Lunatone intercepted him with an Ice Beam! Ash had to come up with something quick.

"Guys, try a combination attack! Attack them from above!" Latios said to Mewtwo, "He's right, and that Ice Beam gave me an idea." They then flew to the top of the room and began to gather energy for what seemed to be a Blizzard attack. Suddenly, they shouted in unison, "It's over! FREEZE STORM!" Both of them thrust one arm downwards and used their psychic powers to create artificial wind. They had indeed been gathering energy for a Blizzard attack, but they added a unique twist. With the wind swirling the icy air around the two opponents, the area's temperature dropped well below freezing! When the wind stopped, both Pokémon were encased in pillars of ice! Before they could break free, Latios blasted Solrock with a Luster Purge while Mewtwo slammed Lunatone with an Iron Tail! The two frozen Pokémon were broken out of the ice and slammed into each other, knocking them out cold! Neo ended the match saying, "Solrock and Lunatone are unable to continue! The victors in this match are Latios and Mewtwo!"

Tate &amp; Liza were stunned. They had never been defeated so quickly before! Ash ran over to his close friends and congratulated them for such great teamwork under pressure. They were a little embarrassed when he hugged them both, but they hugged him back. The two Leaders spoke at once again, "Your trust in them was truly unusual. You allowed them to fight on their own." Ash looked confused, but Mewtwo confirmed it, "They're right. You gave us advice, but you never gave us direct orders." Ash blushed, "Heh heh heh, I did, didn't I?" The twin Leaders added, "We have no regrets. You earned this Mind Badge!" To Ash's surprise, the badge was in two halves. He also couldn't join them on his own. Mewtwo said, "Let me help." He took one piece and joined it to the one that Ash was holding. The two pieces fused into one badge. "I couldn't have gotten this on my own. Thank you guys." He then embraced his two friends again.

During the rest of the day, everyone just tried to relax. Brock did some shopping to reload their supplies, May and Max went shopping for souvenirs, and Neo was having a sparring session with all of Ash's Pokémon, so they wouldn't get out of shape. He even took on his three siblings as well. All at once, that is! However, he went easy on Latias because she was at a much lower level than everyone else.

Little did everyone know, there was a sinister threat approaching them. She thought to herself, (There is no way that punk can match me this time. I'll make sure to take him out first this time! And NO ONE will be able to interfere!"

Just as everyone was deciding on a hotel to stay at for the night, Neo detected a massive amount of Shadow energy approaching. "Great. Looks like we've got company tonight." A mechanical suit of armor landed in front of them. They could see Black Tulips' face behind a visor. The suit fit her body well and had an energy cannon on the left arm. The color of the suit itself was mostly black and blood red.

"Do you want me to kill you this time?" said Neo. Black Tulip answered, "Nah, you can have your turn later. I came here for him." She pointed at Ash. Mewtwo defiantly stepped forward, "You'll have to get to him over my dead body!" Neo added, "And mine." Latios then floated forward, "And mine!" then Bayleef, Latias, and Pikachu stood in her way. Latias then said, "You will have to get through all of us first!"

Black Tulip laughed, "Don't worry. You'll have your turn soon enough!" Neo shouted, "We are not asking, we're telling!" Black Tulip replied, "I don't care. I'm killing that runt first, whether you like it, or not!" As she finished say that, Black Tulip blasted the group with an unknown type of ammunition! The six of them were trapped in some sort of translucent purple dome! "Trust me, you can't break through that. All you can do is wait ten minutes for it to dissipate. Of course, I'll be done in five!" Neo went full power again and tried his best to break through the dome, but nothing gave! "NO GOOD! I just can't break through!" Black Tulip then faced Ash. "Get away from here guys. I can take her on my own." His friends did as they were told while Ash removed his hat and backpack. "Don't think I'm as weak as before, twerp!"

Ash then ascended into his powered up state and flew above Mossdeep City, so no one else would get involved. Black Tulip made the first move. Her suit was incredibly fast and durable. She quickly made a large number of blows onto Ash before he could fight back, but when he did, she felt it. He used high speed blows to knock her of balance and then tried to send her into the ground, but she kicked him off of her before that happened. He tried to get to her again, but she just blasted him away with the arm cannon. When Black Tulip caught up to Ash, he pelted her with a powerful barrage of high speed blows! After that, Black Tulip started pounding into him with a flurry of punches and kicks, followed by three flying kicks from multiple directions! Finally, while Ash was still reeling from that last beating, Black Tulip blasted him in face wit Shadow energy! This only sent him higher into the sky! She slammed him downwards again and went into the final phase. She started knocking Ash back and forth at high speed for a few seconds while close enough to the ground for his friends to see what was happening. Then, Black Tulip slammed Ash into a blast of Shadow energy and knocked him back into another one! When he came flying back towards her from the explosion, she hit him so hard that there was a bright flash of light, as well as an agonizing scream that filled Latias's and Bayleef's eyes with tears.

When the flash dimmed, they saw Ash being held in place by a type of beam coming from Black Tulips' arm cannon. He also seemed to be unconscious. Neo assured them that he was still alive. Black Tulip gloated, "What's wrong, little boy? Are you ashamed that you got your butt handed to you by a woman?! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Deep in the recesses of his mind, Ash saw the three orbs. The one on the left was still shining with a golden light. Suddenly, the one on the right began to glow a bloody red. Ash could sense something dark in it. So dark, the golden orb's light seemed to dim slightly, as if overwhelmed by the other one. Ash was afraid of this new power. Hoping Black Tulip would listen; he woke up and gave her one last warning.

"Don't...you...dare...awaken the darkness inside." As he finished the sentence, Ash's body turned dark, as if covered in a thick shadow. Black Tulip scoffed, "YOU?! DARK?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What do YOU know about the power of darkness?! You're just a pathetic little brat!" Right after she said that, Ash's body and clothes turned completely black! "You're wrong..." Those words seemed to come from everywhere.

Suddenly, two blades of dark energy that seemed to come from nowhere slashed Black Tulip across the chest, followed by an explosion that blew her away! Even she let go of Ash, he just floated where he was. The sky became like a sea of blood. Just then, it became golden yellow as Ash's body released a black sphere of darkness that covered the sky for a moment! He let out a scream of pure rage! When everyone could see again, they were shocked to see that Ash's hair had become a fiery hue! His eyes had turned white and his body was surrounded by a dark blue and blood red aura! His body had been completely corrupted by the power of darkness!

Black Tulip made a dash for Ash to finish him off, but Ash had other ideas. At speeds that only Neo could reach in his strongest form, Ash began pummeling Black Tulip with countless physical blows and slashes of dark energy! He could even cause small rips in the dimensional field to send explosives blasts of energy at Black Tulip from a dark dimension! He could even create shadows of himself to attack her. With such mastery over such a deadly force, Ash was far superior to Black Tulip's armor's weapons. After backslapping her eight times, Ash fired a deadly blast of dark energy from his palm! What happened next is difficult to say. All Neo and his friends could see were about a dozen giant slash marks in the dark sky. Then, Ash proceeded for the kill. With Black Tulip's armor in tatters, she was terrified of what this boy had become. A circle with a golden rim with runic inscriptions opened above her. Suddenly, three meteors of dark energy slammed into her body from three angles. Her screams of agony were drowned out by the booming collisions as the three meteors grinded her body down into nothing but pulp. Lastly, a second portal opened below her and destroyed the rest of her body by blasting her with dark energy from two different angles. The battle was ended by a shower of blood and hail of bone fragments.

The night sky returned to its original black color with the stars adorning it. A moment later, the barrier disappeared. Ash landed nearby, but his friends were too afraid to get anywhere near him. Finally, Latias slowly approached him. When she was right up in his face, she asked, "Ash, are you all right?" He reverted to his normal form and collapsed into his girlfriend's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Everyone could understand why he was crying. He had just taken his first life. "It'll be all right, dear. You'll be fine. I know it's hard to live with yourself after you do something that you can't forgive yourself for, but we still love you. Please try to calm down." Everyone walked over to them and gently embraced Ash. This was a very difficult thing for him to cope with and he needed their support. That night, everyone shed tears for their friend. Ash couldn't even think about his next Gym battle. He could only think about why he had killed someone. He finally cried himself to sleep. Latias joined him and held him in a loving embrace, hoping that it would have a positive influence on his dream...


	14. Accepting One's Fate

The morning after Ash ascended to his second form, his spirits were no better than the day before. The horror of killing someone weighed heavily on his mind. Not even a kiss from Latias could lighten his mood. He was afraid of his own potential. What was the point of being the one who would defend the world if it meant doing something that he hated?

Latias came to Neo, "I can't stand to see him like this. Isn't there something you can do to help him?" Neo sighed, "The only way I can help him is to help him get total control over his dark powers. He doesn't become evil, just brutal. He is still able to discern friends from enemies." He then walked towards Ash.

"Hey. You still upset about yesterday?" Ash didn't answer. "You know, Lugia may have some words of wisdom for you. Feel like paying a visit?" With a half hearted nod, Ash replied, "Sure, but I'd prefer to go alone. Could you keep an eye on everyone while I'm gone?" Neo answered, "Sure. Take your time." Ash ascended into his silver haired form and flew off for the Orange Islands. However, a pair of Team Rocket operatives were watching. "Heh, looks like the main threat is gone for now." The other one said, "Yes, and he will be in for a real surprise when he gets back. Ready, Drowzee?"

Ash reached the Orange Islands much sooner than he thought he would. He landed at the island where he first met Lugia, hoping he was still nearby. Ash called out, "Lugia! Are you there?! Please, I need to speak to you!" After a moment, the water in front of Ash began to ripple. A moment later, the majestic form of Lugia rose from the ocean and landed in front the Chosen One. "You called?" Ash embraced his old friend's face and shed a few tears. "I'm glad to see you again." Lugia replied, "So am I. I trust that your Guardian is performing his duty well?" Ash nodded, "Yeah. He does everything I tell him to. But I need to speak to you about something important." Lugia listened.

"Yesterday, I killed someone who tried to kill me. I never wanted to kill anyone before, but I couldn't stop myself." Lugia spoke, "You must not be afraid to use that power. Although the power of darkness is fearsome, it is just like the power of light. Both can be used to kill, but they can still be controlled. You will have to use the power of darkness again eventually. You must not be afraid to kill. More often than not, the only way to stop evildoers from doing harm is to destroy them. You did the right thing by killing your assailant. She would have killed all your companions right after she killed you. Including your true love." Ash felt a chill flow through him. The loss of Latias seemed like something that was unthinkable. Even if he lived, he would die of sorrow if she perished. "If you wish to protect the ones you love, you will have to use the power of darkness. In time, your full potential will be unlocked and you will have full control over your abilities. Don't be afraid. You are the only one who can destroy the ultimate evil that will appear someday." Ash embraced Lugia again. He felt much better after listening to his words of wisdom.

Lugia added, "By the way, when you return to your friends, tell Neo that his father wishes him well." Ash jumped, "FATHER?! I thought you were his brother!" Lugia laughed, "He has Lugia DNA in him, but it's not my DNA. The Lugia his creators acquired DNA from was my son! You've met him before. His name is Silver." Ash remembered the young Lugia at the Whirl Islands in the Johto region. "Oh yeah! I remember him! He sure was cute! Man, Neo is gonna flip when he learns that he has a Mom and Dad!" Lugia turned to leave, "Take care. I want to see the day where you become my Son-in-Law." Ash yelled, "Wait!" Lugia stopped. "What do you mean that I'll be your Son-in-Law?" Lugia explained, "Neo is my son, but his sister is your fiancée. Although I'm not directly related to Latias, I will still be close enough to become your Father-in-Law." Lugia was shocked to see Ash starting to cry. "What is wrong? Did I say something terrible?" Ash answered, "No. I never knew my Dad. I'm just so happy that I'll finally have one." Lugia lowered his head and gave his future Son-in-Law a gentle kiss. Ash hugged him back. "If you ever need me, you know where to find me." They said their goodbyes and parted ways. Ash couldn't wait to tell the good news to Neo.

Ash flew back towards the Hoenn region. He could imagine the look on Neo's face when he would tell him about his parents. However, when he got to Mossdeep City, he was greeted by an eerie site. All of his friends were out cold, just lying on the ground! They didn't seem to be injured, but there was something wrong. When he landed, Ash made an unnerving discovery. Neo was missing. Did he do this? Ash managed to wake Pikachu up. "Hey buddy. What happened here?" Pikachu answered, "I think it was Neo. He went crazy and attacked us. I don't know why." "Are you feeling better?" Pikachu hopped out of Ash's arms and stretched, "Yep! That nap really felt good!" Ash laughed, "Well, could you zap everyone else awake?" "OK. WAKE UP, EVERYONE!" With a Thunderbolt, Pikachu zapped everyone and they woke up instantly! After they explained what happened, Latias found a note nearby. "Guys, I think I found something!" Everyone looked at the note, "If you want to see your Guardian again, come to the southernmost part of Mossdeep." It was most likely a trap, but Ash didn't want to lose Neo.

When they got there, the gang found an armored bunker. As they approached the door, it opened. Mewtwo spoke, "They must be expecting us. I'll go first. Stay close." Ash stayed right behind Mewtwo. He was already in his first powered up state. When they entered a large, dark room, someone spoke. "Well, it has been a while since we last saw you brats. What can we do for you?" Ash yelled, "Let Neo go! We know you have him here!" Another voice answered, "Oh, sure we'll let him go. But only if he wants to go with you." The lights came on and everyone saw who the two villains were. Butch and Cassidy, two senior Team Rocket officers that had given them a lot of trouble a few times before. Also, they saw Neo standing in front of them. He had a glazed look in the eyes.

"Hey Neo! Let's go! I've got something to tell you!" Neo just stood there. Cassidy laughed, "Sorry, it looks like he doesn't want you as his master anymore. Oh yes. You do remember Drowzee, don't you?" They stepped to the sides. Everyone saw a Drowzee wearing some strange head gear inside a sturdy glass tube. It then hit Ash, "You jerks! You've got him under some kind of mind control, don't cha?!" It was the same Drowzee that was mind controlling many Pokémon on a certain island in the Orange Islands! Butch answered, "The kid's smart. Yeah, he is! We thought since the mind control device only works on Pokémon, why not try it on Team Rockets' #1 target? Sure enough, it worked like a charm! Now we have total control over the Ultimate Bioweapon!" Ash asked, "So if all you wanted was Neo, why did you want us to come here?" Cassidy smirked, "Actually, the only one we wanted to come here was you. The others don't matter." Brock then asked, "So, what do you jerks want with Ash?" Butch answered, "We were ordered to finish the job that Black Tulip could not. And who would be better for the job than XD-385?" Ash felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Neo wouldn't really try to kill him. Would he?

Cassidy snapped her fingers, "OK Neo. Your first assignment is: Destroy that brat!" To everyone's horror, Neo entered his strongest form! His eyes and hair turned Emerald green and his body was enshrouded with a fierce green aura! He made a dash for Ash! With a powerful hook, he sent Ash flying into a wall! "Sorry Neo. I won't die here!" Ash's eyes became bloodshot and his body was covered in a golden flame! He then made a lunge at Neo, who tried to intercept him with a Silver Wind attack! Ash swooped under the shot and got behind Neo! With great speed, he began circling Neo while laying powerful blows on him! However, Neo was still the stronger fighter. He grabbed Ash by the leg and began to beat him against the floor like a rag doll! He then blasted Ash in the face with Blast Burn, the deadliest Fire type attack of all! Latias looked on as her boyfriend fell to the floor.

After a moment, Ash climbed to his feet. (I don't have a choice. If I don't go all-out, I don't know what they will do to everyone else! I just hope I have better control over myself this time.) Ash let out a scream and the whole room became pitch-black! When the lights returned everyone saw that Ash's hair and become a fiery hue again and his aura had become dark blue and blood red! "Ready for Round 2?"

Ash made the first move. He slammed Neo hard with a blow that was backed with dark energy! Neo tried to counter with a double Leaf Blade attack, but Ash blocked it with what seemed to be a weapon made of dark energy! He was holding a pole of it in his hand like a sword! Latios whistled, "Hoo, looks like things are going to get interesting." At speeds that no one could keep track of, the two combatants zoomed around the room while slashing at each other! Neo tried to blast Ash with a Flamethrower, but Ash countered with a stream of dark flames fired from the palm of his hand! The battle raged on for hours. It seemed that the two were perfectly equal in these forms. Then, Ash tried something new. He threw his sword at Neo! He dodged it, but Ash just made another one! The sword of dark energy just floated in place!

Ash just stood there while holding a stream of dark energy in one hand while the other one just floated in the air behind Neo. Then, he struck. In a flurry of slashes, Ash used both swords to hack and slash away at Neo from both sides! Neo just couldn't break free! After an intense minute, Neo collapsed in a heap of pieces! No one was certain if he survived. The pieces of Neo began to shine and reform. Ash glanced over to that Drowzee and saw that he was showing signs of mental fatigue. He then slapped himself on the face. "Duh! That Drowzee was controlling Neo directly the whole time! No wonder he couldn't break free of that attack!" With a sweep of his arm, Ash created another break in the dimensional field near the glass capsule and blasted it with a burst of dark energy! It had no problem tearing through the reinforced tube. The Drowzee survived, but the mind controlling head gear was totaled.

Once Neo was back in one piece, he looked around in a daze. He then saw Ash standing in front of him. He was still in his dark state. "Uh, Master? What are you doing?" May yelled, "He spoke! He must be back to normal!" Just then, he saw the two Rocket members trying to sneak away. He asked Ash, "May I?" Ash replied, "Be my guest." Neo Teleported over to them, scaring the heck out of them. "You think I'm going to let you freaks off the hook after you turned me against my own master?! Think again!" Despite their pleas, Neo began pummeling them with his fists! After a good minute, everyone left the bunker, leaving the battered Rockets alone. They would be sore for a long time.

After everyone checked into the hotel for the night, Ash decided to tell Neo about Lugia. "So Ash, did Lugia give you any words of wisdom?" Ash replied, "Yep. That's why I used the power of darkness against you. Also, your Dad says "HI"." Neo looked at him funny, "MY DAD? Sorry to break it to you, Ash, but I don't have any parents." Ash laughed, "That's what you think! You have Lugia DNA in you, right? Well, that DNA wasn't obtained from the Lugia you are thinking of! It was taken from his son! I even met him once in the Whirl Islands. His name is Silver. And since he is your brother, Lugia is your Dad! Also, Silver's Mom is your Mom, too!" Neo began to laugh hysterically, "NO WAY! I have a Mom and Dad?! HA HA HA! Man, life sure does surprise you sometimes, huh?! Oh, I'd like to meet him someday!"

That night, Ash began to plot a strategy for his next Gym battle. He asked Mewtwo and Latios to not participate in it since they were just too strong. Latias asked Ash, "Could I fight next time?" Ash replied, "Are you sure? I really don't want to see you get hurt." Latias embraced him, "Don't worry. The only way I'll get stronger is through battling. I want to get stronger so I can protect you. Is that all right with you?" Ash answered, "OK. But if you get in over your head, I'll call off the match." Latias gave him a grateful kiss. In the next room, Bayleef was troubled by the recent turn of events. It wasn't Neo that Team Rocket was targeting; it was her one true love, Ash! She was also upset that she wasn't nearly as strong as the three other Pokémon that were traveling with them. She promised herself, she would find someway to get stronger. She then came up with an idea that involved Neo and a certain place she had seen that day. She finally fell asleep, dreaming of days with her trainer.

Meanwhile, Giovanni had gotten word of the failed attempts to capture XD-385 and destroy Ash. "That does it. If I can't have that Bioweapon, then no one can. I'll capture him myself." He contacted his researchers and ordered them to prepare the experiment. (It won't be long now. In a few weeks, I will become this worlds' ruler!)


	15. Into the Dragon's Den

The day after his mind control folly, Neo accompanied Bayleef to a place she wanted him to see. On the outskirts of Mossdeep City, they came to a building that seemed very high-tech. Bayleef asked, "Do you know where we are?" At that moment, a small rocket launched from behind the building! It flew off into the horizon. Neo muttered, "The Space Center."

"Let me get this straight. Why did you want me to come here?" Bayleef answered, "Every last enemy that we've seen recently tried to kill Ash. I want to be strong enough to protect him, but I can't even come close to the other three." Neo was puzzled, "So?" Bayleef added, "So, I want you to make something that can help me become stronger! This place has all kinds of high-tech stuff, so I'm sure you could make something that can help me." Neo nodded, "I gotcha. Just give me a few minutes." He disappeared behind the building.

A few mintues later, Neo came back with a huge pile of metallic junk in his arms! Bayleef asked, "Wow, they let you take that much?!" Neo laughed, "I never asked! I just took this stuff from the dumpsters! You would be surprised by what they throw away." Afterwards, he took the stuff to the bunker where they were yesterday. He had Bayleef wait outside. After just 15 minutes, Neo came back out. "Well, what did you make?" Neo held out a small black cube. Bayleef gawked, "That's it? That is the best you could come up with?" Neo chucked it towards her, "Just wait and see."

To Bayleef's surprise, the cube spoke! "Registering user..." It scanned her body, "Registration complete." Next, the cube sprang at Bayleef and began to cover her body! After a moment, Bayleef just stood there wearing her new suit of armor. The bottoms of her feet were fitted with hover board-like technology. The leaves around her neck were covered with reinforced solar panels. The leaf on her head was covered by a sharp blade that could be extended. It could also be charged with a type of energy to slice through things like a laser. The armor itself was a yellowish color, just like her skin. Her eyes were protected with a translucent material.

"Wow, you made this yourself?! This is so cool! How does it work?" Neo explained, "It heightens all your abilities as well as giving you others. To remove it, just say "XD-385" out loud. Now then, time for a virtual training session." Bayleef yelled, "Huh?! Wait!" Suddenly, her eyes found herself in a bunker area not much different from the one she was in yesterday. It was very dark. Suddenly, the familiar form of Black Tulip appeared from the shadows! Her body was enshrouded with Shadow energy, just like the first time. Bayleef lunged at her, but Black Tulip slipped behind her and kicked Bayleef into the wall! Bayleef landed on her feet and vaulted off of the wall. While she was upside down, Bayleef fired a Solarbeam from the leaves around her neck, which were intensified by the solar panels on them! When she landed, Bayleef turned to look at the big hole in the ground. Black Tulip rose out of it. Her face was blank. She made a sweep kick at Bayleef's legs, but she jumped to avoid it. The two then charged each other. At light speed, the two fighters rose upward while blocking each other's attacks. When Black Tulip was about to attack from behind, Bayleef horse kicked her! As she flew after her, Bayleef found herself high in the sky! She was also not sure how this armor allowed her to fly, but she knew how to control it somehow.

When Bayleef caught up to her, Black Tulip tried to get Bayleef caught up in a combo, but Bayleef countered with a Headbutt and a Bodyslam. While Black Tulip was stunned, Bayleef extended her leaf on her head. It became a glowing blade of purple light! In an eye blink, Bayleef sliced Black Tulip in half! The area flashed white for a moment and then Bayleef found herself on a plain looking field.

Suddenly, something blasted her from behind with stream of Shadow energy! When Bayleef looked, she saw Black Tulip again, except this time; she was wearing the same armor that she used against Ash! Bayleef made a dash at Black Tulip, but was knocked down with a shot from her arm cannon. Bayleef climbed to her feet and was quite peeved. She slammed Black Tulip away with a Headbutt and drew in solar energy into her armor. A yellow aura enshrouded the armor! Solar energy was its power source! Black Tulip came back and fired two more shots at Bayleef, but she ducked, and then jumped to evade them. When a third blast was shot at her, Bayleef knocked it back with a swing of her Leaf Blade! Before Black Tulip could hit the ground, Bayleef pulled her back to her with a Vine Whip! When close enough, Bayleef destroyed Black Tulip with a Solarbeam! The place flashed white again and Bayleef found herself back in Mossdeep with Neo.

"Well done." Bayleef faced him, "It was a piece of cake. Huh? What happened to you?" Neo looked a little fried, "One of your Solarbeams got me. The simulation was only projected on the visor of your armor." Bayleef blushed, "Oops. Will you be OK?" Neo nodded, "Yeah. Could you watch Ash for a while? I'm heading over to the Johto region for some practice." Neo flew off, leaving Bayleef wondering what he was going to do in the Johto region.

In less than an hour, Neo had entered the Johto region. "Let's see. It should be somewhere between Violet City and Azalea Town. I just have to sense my brother." He tried to sense Charizard life signs and traced it to the Charicific Valley. He could sense the Charizard whose' DNA was used to create him. As he floated directly above it, Neo saw two Charizard sparring with each other. (Heh, I'll show them a real sparring match!) He made a nosedive towards Charicific Valley!

Lisa was keeping track of the progress of all the Charizard in the valley. Ash's Charizard had dethroned the previous champ and was the strongest Charizard around. However, she was thinking back to the day several months ago when a small group of mysterious humans visited the valley and took a blood sample from Ash's Charizard. She never saw them again. Just then, she saw what seemed to be a small meteor falling towards the center of the valley! "Hey guys! Get out of there! There's a meteor coming!" The two Charizard looked up and jumped out of the way at the last second! When the meteor hit the ground, there was a loud boom as it created a large crater. A huge cloud of dust rose from it. After a few seconds, there was a strange sound coming from the crater. It sounded like dirt was being poured into it.

To everyone's shock, they saw a human boy with Ruby red hair and Sapphire blue eyes standing where the crater should have been! He was looking at all of them with a look in his eyes that was very intimidating. All of the Charizard noticed his odd scent and took an aggressive mood towards him. Lisa asked, "What the... Where is the meteor?! Who are you?!" Neo answered, "That meteor was me." All at once, the Charizard attacked with Blast Burn! Neo was covered in a dome of fire! Lisa yelled, "Hey! Stop! He didn't do anything wrong!" They didn't listen.

Streams of Emerald green light began to shine through the dome of fire! With a roar, Neo blew the flames away from him! All the Charizard stared in surprise at his eyes and hair. They had become Emerald green! He spoke, "I only came here for a warm up. Now, come at me!" At his words, all the Charizard charged him! Neo evaded them by flying straight up! The whole bunch of them, 30 Charizard, chased him. One of them came at Neo with a flurry of Fury Swipes! Neo evaded every single slash with little effort by moving back and forth. Suddenly, at speeds that no one could see, Neo blazed through the whole mess of them while landing several Comet Punches on them. After one second, they all reeled from the blows. To spare them from anymore pain, Neo knocked them out with Sleep Powder. The only one he left alone was his brother, Ash's Charizard. He glared at Neo with anger filled eyes. Neo spoke, "You really are the toughest out of all the Charizard here, Brother. However, you can't hold a tail flame to my abilities!" This only got Charizard even more fired up!

After a moment, the two fighters got into a hand lock. However, Charizard pulled a fast one on Neo and got him into the position for a Seismic Toss! Charizard threw Neo straight down! Just before he hit the ground, Neo landed on his feet, creating yet another crater. "That's it. You're asking for it now!" Neo rocketed back up to Charizard and did something odd. "Dragon Dance!" He slammed Charizard a good distance away and followed up by saying, "Times Twenty!" He became enshrouded with a red and blue aura, a sign that his strength and speed had been radically heightened. In an instant, Neo was pummeling Charizard with a flurry of punches and kicks! He then caught him in his arms and set him up for his own Seismic Toss! Instead of throwing Charizard straight down, Neo went into a spiral as he made a nosedive towards the ground! The instant they hit the ground, a massive dust cloud rose. When the dust cleared, Charizard had his head buried underground! Neo thrust his hand into the ground and pulled his head out. Charizard was very dazed. He was even seeing double.

"Charizard! What did you do to him?! Lisa came running over to the two. Neo replied, "He'll be fine. He really is the toughest out of all the Charizard here. I'll tell Ash that you said "HI", OK?" As Neo went airborne, Lisa yelled, "Wait! You know Ash?" Neo laughed, "Know him? He's my master! See ya!" He then took off while leaving a green vapor trail. "Heh, I never would have thought that Ash's Charizard was my brother. It's a small world after all. At least, it seems small when you can circle the globe in just a few hours!" As he flew back towards Mossdeep City, he wondered what Ash and Latias were up to. (Why do I have the feeling that a big surprise will be waiting for me?)

About a half hour before Neo returned, the sun had set. Bayleef was taking her job very seriously. She was wearing her armor at all times and stayed close to Ash. However, Latias asked Bayleef to let her speak to Ash in private. Bayleef agreed just as long as she could stay right outside the door.

When they were alone, Latias asked, "Ash, I need to ask you something important." Ash replied, "Sure. What's wrong?" Latias blushed, "These past few days, our enemies came after you instead of Neo. Last time, I thought I was going to lose you before we had the chance." Ash asked, "The chance to do what?" Latias began to cry, "Ash, I'm ready to be a mother." Ash choked, "Are you sure?!" Latias nodded. Ash thought for a moment. "All right. If that's what you want, I'll do it tonight. Let's wait until after dinner first." Latias squealed, "Oh Ash, thank you!" She rewarded him with a loving kiss.

Right after dinner, Ash and Latias turned in for the night in their hotel room. Latias flew right over to the bed. She was ready to get started. Ash spoke, "You're not wasting any time, are you?" Latias giggled, "Nope. I just can't wait to have you inside me again." After Ash removed his clothes, Latias gazed at his toned body. After he ascended into his first form, Ash's body had become extremely toned. "Wow Ash. Have you been working out?" Ash was puzzled, "What do you mean?" Latias pointed to a mirror. When Ash looked at his reflection, he jumped back. "Is that me?! Man, I've really bulked up! It must have something to do with my powered up forms." He wasn't overly muscled, but his body seemed very powerful for his age.

Latias laid on her back again, just like before. Ash asked, "Er, if it's OK with you, may I have a taste?" Latias looked confused, "A taste of what?" Ash pointed down to her, "The last time we made love, I felt something splash onto me. I want to know what it tastes like." This got Latias intrigued, "Go right ahead." The moment Ash's tongue touched her vaginas' lips, Latias let out a moan of pleasure. Ash spoke, "You taste really sweet!" Latias answered, "Don't stop! It feels so good!" Not wanting to disappoint her, Ash continued licking at her flower. The moans of Latias were music to his ears. After a few minutes of licking, Ash felt something splash all over his face. He tasted it and said, "This stuff tastes very sweet. Kinda like vanilla." The flavor also turned him on; his member became painfully stiff, demanding release.

After that, Latias pulled Ash against her body. They then pressed their lips against each others' while swirling their tongues to perform a dance of love. When they released each other, Ash was surprised to see a look of lust in Latias' eyes. Ash asked, "Um, are you feeling OK?" Latias answered, "I want to feel you inside me. Please, fill me up!" Ash wasn't used to her current behavior, but he did as she said. He slowly pushed into her, causing Latias to let out a scream of delight. Ash asked, "Are you all right?" Latias gasped, "Yes. I told you it would never hurt again!" Ash noticed that there was nothing in his way this time. He began to speed up his thrusts while Latias pulled him against her body. She was in a state where all she could think about was the pleasure of being impregnated and the many years she would spend with her lover and children.

"Don't stop, Ash! I need as much as your seed as possible if I'm going to get pregnant!" Ash yelled, "I'll try!" That moment, he fired his sperm into her womb. Latias moaned, "Please... I need more. Don't stop. Please..." Despite his exhaustion, Ash continued to thrust into his lover to try to give her what she desired. A few minutes later, he orgasmed again, firing even more of his sperm into Latias. She pleaded, "Please, Ash. Just one more time. I'm afraid that this isn't enough." Ash answered, "OK. Since this feels so good, I think I can ignore my exhaustion." Ash tried to keep going, but he was too tired to move in and out of Latias very fast. Even so, Latias was screaming in ecstasy. Bayleef had a hard time trying to not look suspicious to anyone who walked by their room. Brock asked, "It sounds like someone is giving birth in there! Is everything OK?!" Bayleef gave a nervous nod. (That was close. I hope they stop soon.)

Finally, Ash had one more orgasm, as well as Latias. However, he was too tired to pull himself out of her. So he just collapsed onto her. Latias asked, "Are you feeling OK, my love?" Ash muttered, "Yeah. That felt better than anything I've ever felt before. But I'm just too tired to move. I hope you don't mind me using you as a pillow." Latias giggled, "I'll fix that." She turned sideways so that they were side by side. "Better?" Ash sighed, "Yeah. Do you think it worked?" Latias kissed him, "The only way we'll know is to visit the Pokémon Center tomorrow. And don't worry if they find out that you're the father. I won't let them do anything to you." The two of them fell asleep almost simultaneously. However, Ash had his hand resting against Latias' abdomen. They both dreamed about nothing more than being with each other.

When Neo got back, he went straight up to his room. When he got inside, he saw Ash and Latias were still connected. While trying not to get his hopes up, he scanned Latias for interior life signs. Suddenly, he stopped. (This... They...)

When May passed by the room, Neo opened the door and came out. He was looking down and trembling. May asked, "Are they OK?" Neo looked up at her. To May's surprise, he had a huge smile on his face! "I... I'm gonna be... an UNCLE!" May sobbed, "What did you say?" Neo yelled, "They did it! Latias is going to have twins!" May ran downstairs to they rest of the group to spread the good news. She thought she would be heartbroken to lose her crush to someone else for good, but she was the most excited out of all of them! When he heard the news, Latios began to cry. "I thought I would never feel this happy. I can't believe that I'm going to be an uncle!" Neo joked, "You're not the only one!" While everyone else laughed, Bayleef was crying in a corner. Even though she felt happy for her love, she felt terrible that she would never have any children of her own. Still, she wondered if Ash would ask her to be his children's Godmother. That sounded great to her. The whole group fell asleep wondering what the children of the Chosen One would look like.

Giovanni yelled, "WHAT?! What do you mean that it's not ready?!" His researchers answered, "This experiment is very risky. We are taking every possible step to prevent you from getting killed during the experiment. It will take a few months, but if our calculations are correct, the experiment will be a complete success. So please be patient." Giovanni pondered this, "I suppose they're right. What's the point of doing this if I don't survive to see the end? If I'm to capture XD-385, I need to be patient and careful. In a few months, he will be as good as mine. That is, unless I'm superior to him! Then I'll have no use for him! Ha ha ha ha ha!"


	16. Rain of Envy

The morning after Ash and Latias made love a second time; the two lovers proceeded to the lobby where the rest of the group was waiting with mischievous grins on their faces. Neo and May seemed to be the giddiest out of all of them. Ash and Latias felt so relaxed after experiencing the time of their lives that they almost didn't notice the funny gazes their friends were giving them.

Latias spoke first, "All right, what are you guys hiding?" Mewtwo answered, "Oh, nothing in particular. What is our next destination?" Ash replied, "We'll be heading for Sootopolis after me and Latias pay a visit to the Pokémon Center." As they turned to leave, Neo stepped in front of them, "That won't be necessary." Ash asked, "What do you mean?" Neo smirked, "I already checked. Latias doesn't need to take a pregnancy test." She blushed, "H-How did you know about that?!" Neo gave them a big toothy grin, "I scanned your body last night. Congratulations." Ash and Latias yelled, "WHAT?!" Neo gave them both a big hug, "You heard me! You two are gonna have twins!" Latias and Ash let out a yell of joy! Latias squealed, "I never thought this day would come!" Ash asked, "How long will it take?" Latios answered, "A Latias gives birth to twins just 80 days after conceiving them. However, since yours will be a type of crossbreed, it might take longer." May asked, "So Ash, may I be there, uh, godmother?" He grinned, "You AND Bayleef can be their godmothers!" At the sound of this, both of them screamed in joy. Ash added, "Hey Mewtwo! You can be their godfather!" Mewtwo blushed, "I, uh, would be honored." With nothing else to do, the group left for the outskirts of Mossdeep City for Sootopolis.

"Sootopolis can only be accessed from the air, so we'll have to fly to get there." Neo took on the form of a Lugia again so everyone could climb aboard. As they were flying to Sootoplis, Ash asked, "Hey Neo! What kind of Gym do they have?!" Neo yelled back, "I believe the Leader uses Water types!" Ash thought, (Water types? I guess Bayleef and Grovyle would be good choices. Also, I promised Latias I would let her fight.) Brock asked, "Who's the Leader?! Is it a gorgeous girl?!" Neo answered, "I have no idea. I heard that the Gym tends to have a hard time sticking with one Gym Leader, but they always use Water types!"

It was difficult for Neo to enter Sootopolis without being noticed. The only way he could think of was to Teleport right behind the largest building in the area and Transform back into his normal form before anyone could see him do it. As it turned out, the building was the Gym. Ash spoke, "OK. Latias, you can fight this time. You can fight too, Bayleef. And if the two of you can't do it, I'll send in Grovyle."

When they stepped inside, the group saw that the place was made up mostly of ice sculptures and pools of water. Ash yelled, "I'm here to earn a badge! Where's the Gym Leader?!" Neo replied, "Calm down. Someone is approaching this room." Everyone could here footsteps coming from a side hall. When the Leader stepped out, Neo groaned, "Oh man. Not her!" The current Gym Leader was Misty!

"Huh? Ash?!" Ash stepped back at the sight of her. Neo whispered, "Better act like you and Latias don't have anything going on between you. With a temper like hers', there's no telling what she will do if she finds out that you two are engaged." However, Misty ran over to them and gave Ash an unexpected hug! "I thought you had already passed through!" Ash asked, "You're the Gym Leader?!" Misty explained, "Well, just for now. Since my sisters got back, I was asked to sit in for the Gym Leader here. Since my sisters are the primary Leader back home, this would give me something to do! Huh?" She noticed the boy behind Ash wearing green clothes with red hair and blue eyes. He also looked very tense.

"Who are you?" Neo remained silent. "What's wrong?" Ash stepped in, "Oh, that's Neo. I don't think he likes you much." Just then, she noticed Latias, Latios, and Mewtwo. "Latias! I didn't think I'd see you here! And Latios! I thought you were dead!" Latios blushed, "Well, I was! However, my little brother brought me back to life." He pointed at Neo. "Er, he doesn't look like you at all. Are you sure it was him?" Latios laughed, "I'll explain later." Misty asked Latias, "What made you come looking for Ash?" Latias giggled, "Actually, Ash came back to me! We're-mph!" She was cut off by Neo, who covered her mouth. Ash yelled, "Neo! Let her finish!" With a nervous look in his eyes, he let go of his sister. Latias continued, "As I said, we're engaged!" Misty went silent. Ash muttered, "Uh, Misty?"

Misty spoke, "Why would you choose a Pokémon over a human?" Ash was silent. He had never heard her talk like that. She yelled, "Why won't you tell me?!" She spun around and was about to punch him in the face! However, she stopped when she felt something cold touch the back of her neck. Neo was holding the tip of an Icicle Spear against the back of her neck! "Strike him and you die." She lowered her arm and said, "OK Ash. How about this? If you win this match, I'll give you the Rain Badge. If you lose, you dump Latias and marry me!" Everyone was shocked to hear this ultimatum! Neo yelled, "I always knew you were a jerk, but this is too extreme, even for you! Master, please allow me to force her to give you the badge!" Ash spoke, "No. I'll take the challenge." Latias cried, "Ash! Do you really want to risk our relationship?!" Ash grinned, "Don't worry about it. I know we'll come out on top."

After a few minutes, Ash talked his strategy over with his fighters. The field was just a large swimming pool with floating islands. Latias would go first, then Grovyle, and then Bayleef. Ash yelled at Misty, "I'll start with Latias!" Just then, Neo totally flipped out! "WAIT! Ash, could I have word with you two for a moment?" Once the three of them were alone, Neo said, "Are you nuts?! Pregnant Pokémon are forbidden to battle!" Ash's face turned pale. "I get it. Thanks for stopping me." Latias objected, "Please let me fight. If I'm about to take a blow to my abdomen, you can stop the match." Neo nodded, "Fine. I'll step in if things get bad." Brock acted as the referee. This is an official battle for a Rain Badge! The Leader and Challenger are allowed to use three Pokémon each! There is no time limit. Let the match begin!"

"OK! Show them what you can do, Corsola!" Corsola popped out of his Pokeball and took a defiant stance. "OK. Latias, be careful." Latias flew at Corsola to attack with a Dragon Claw! Just then, Corsola used Mirror Coat! Latias noticed and used a Headbutt instead. "You're pretty tough, Latias, but Corsola has more experience. Use Spike Cannon!" However, while Corsola was taking aim, Latias got in a cheap shot with a Thunderbolt! Corsola passed out without knowing what hit him. "The winner of this round is Latias!" Latias flew back to Ash and shrieked in joy at her first victory. "May I please take the next one?!" Ash gulped, "OK, but Neo will step in if you're about to take an attack to your womb."

Misty was frustrated, "Fine. Sealeo is up next!" The chubby seal climbed onto one of the islands. Ash thought, (This could be bad. Latias can't stand Ice type attacks.) Sealeo fired an Ice Beam, but Latias was too quick to be hit. She tried closing in for a Dragon Claw, but Sealeo slammed her with a Body Slam, leaving her stunned. As he was about to blast her at point blank with another Ice Beam, Neo made his move. Using Teleport, he got in between the two combatants and pinned Sealeo to the artificial island with Vicegrip! "Enough! Latias is done!" Once Latias got back to Ash, she wept, "I'm sorry. I really tried." Ash hugged her, "It's OK. I still have two left, right? You're up, Grovyle!" He said in a language that only Ash and all Pokémon could understand, "About time!" He put a twig in his mouth, as usual.

"OK! Use Leaf Blade!" After dodging an Ice Beam, Grovyle scored a quick double slash on Sealeo and followed up with Bullet Seed. Sealeo tried to get in a Body Slam, but Grovyle proved to be too fast for him. One more Leaf Blade slash was enough to do him in. Finally, Misty was furious. "That does it. I choose Gyarados!" The hulking serpent roared at Grovyle. "Whoa. I almost forgot that Misty had a Gyarados! Be careful, Grovyle! That Gyarados can use Flamethrower!" "Got it!" Grovyle used Bullet Seed, but was suddenly overwhelmed with a Hyper Beam! He passed out instantly.

"You did well, Grovyle. Bayleef, you..." Ash was cut off when Neo threw his arm in front of him. "I'll handle this. I've held a grudge against that she-devil for a while and I won't wait another minute." Ash sighed, "Fine. Neo will fight in Bayleef's place!" Bayleef objected, "Hey! Why can't I fight?!" Neo answered, (That armor I made for you might activate. If it did, you would be disqualified.) Neo jumped onto one of the islands.

Misty laughed, "Oh come on! What makes you think you can take me on?! Gyarados, put him down!" Gyarados began to charge energy for a Hyper Beam. However, Neo was gathering energy for an attack that he never used before. No one could see the spheres of cold, heat, and lightning energy in front of him. Suddenly, Gyarados fired! Just before the blast hit Neo, he shouted, "TAKE THIS! BIG BANG ATTACK!" A massive wave of blue, red, and yellow energy was fired from his hands and cut right through Gyarados's inferior Hyper Beam, engulfing him and blasted right through the roof of the gym! From far away, it looked like a volcanic eruption!

Once the rubble stopped falling, Misty gasped at the sigh of her gym. It was a mess. Gyarados was floating in the pool and unconscious. Neo spoke, "Unless you want to be next, fork over that Rain Badge." Misty stuttered, "W-what are you?" Neo turned away, "I'm not going to tell you." He then jumped back over to his friends.

Misty handed over the Rain Badge to Ash. He asked, "Why Misty? Why did you make such an outrageous condition?!" Misty looked down, "You have no idea how long I've been in love with you. It's been over two years since I did. I was just so angry that you had been claimed by someone else. I hope you can forgive me." Ash sighed, "Well, either way, I wouldn't be able to leave Latias." Misty asked, "Why?" Ash blushed, "I'm gonna be a father. I want to be there when my kids are born." Misty looked like she was going to have another hissyfit. She surprised everyone, "Ash. You are such a stud! If I can't have you, at least invite me to the wedding!" Ash agreed and everyone checked into a hotel for the night, except Misty. She slept in her quarters, which was left undamaged.

That night, Ash made a decision. He decided to stay in Sootopolis until his kids were born. No one disagreed. Over the next few weeks, Latias's belly really began to swell. During that time, Ash and the gang got to know the folks in the city. Neo also helped with the repairs to the Gym. Exactly 30 days later, Latias woke up in the middle of the night. She was having contractions. Neo asked, "What's wrong?" Latias gasped, "The babies are coming!" Without warning, Neo knocked her out with Sleep Powder. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't feel any pain." Latias's body began to push the first newborn from her womb. It was a boy, a Latios. Shortly afterwards, his sister was born, a Latias. After drying them off, Neo laid them down next to their parents and went back to sleep himself.

When Ash woke up, he saw two tiny faces staring at him with adorable smiles on them. They spoke, "Good morning, Daddy!" Ash mumbled, "Wha? Which one of you is Latias?" They looked at each other and then back to Ash, "Who's Latias?" Ash just stared at them while half asleep. "Maybe Daddy's still sleepy." The other said, "OK. Let's go back to bed. Good night, Daddy." As they lay down at his sides, Ash drifted off to sleep again. Just then, his eyes shot open after he thought about what they said. Daddy? He sat up and looked down at them. One was a Latios while the other was a Latias. However, there was something odd about them. The Latios was a bright emerald green while the Latias was all yellow. What was more; they were less than half a foot long! He gently picked them up in his arms. The Latios spoke, "Are you awake now, Daddy?" Ash choked back tears when he asked, "Say that again, please." The Latias asked, "Daddy, why are you crying?" He hugged them tightly, "Because I'm so happy to finally meet my kids." The two Pokémon snuggled with their father for a few minutes before Latias woke up.

"Hey, Mommy's awake!" The two few over to her and nuzzled her face. (These are my children. I thought I would never see this day.) She noticed Ash looking at them with a funny grin. Latias said, "What are you waiting for, dear? Something is missing from this picture." Ash blushed and embraced his fiancé and children. Before they left the room, Ash had to think up a name for them.

Everyone was waiting for Latias and Ash in the lobby. Mewtwo asked, "Neo, what do you think the two lovers will want to do today?" Neo chuckled, "We won't know until they come down. Hmmm, that must be them now." The elevator light dinged and the door opened. However, everyone noticed that Ash had a sneaky grin on his face.

Suspicious, Latios asked, "All right, what are you planning?" Ash answered, "Oh, nothing. There's just someone who wants to see you." Suddenly, a small Latios and Latias sprang out from behind Ash and tackled the startled Pokémon to the floor! "Hi, Uncle Latios!" After catching his breath, Latios held both of his sister's children in his arms. A proud smile came across his face. Just then, the Latias shrieked, "Oh, there's Uncle Mewtwo and Uncle Neo! And Aunt May and Aunt Bayleef!" May and Bayleef were simply overwhelmed by the cute and loving personalities of the newborns. Mewtwo wasn't certain of what to do, but was quickly won over by their constant playfulness. Bayleef asked, "What are your names?" The Latias replied, "I'm Amber!" The Latios also said, "I'm Onyx!" Brock spoke, "Wait! You don't look like an Onix!" Ash laughed, "His name is spelled with a Y instead of an I." May squealed, "I should have known your babies would be just as loveable as you! I feel so happy to be their godmother!" Bayleef added, "Me too. Thank you, Ash." Afterwards, the group went to the Pokémon Center to give Ash's Mom a call.

Delia was just about to go outside when she heard something. "RINGRINGRING! RINGRINGRING! PHONECALLPHONECALL!" The phone was ringing. When she answered it, she was surprised to see her son on the screen! "Ash! Are you doing well?" Ash grinned, "Better than you think! I want you to meet someone! Hey Amber! Onyx! Could you come up here?" A tiny Latios and Latias flew up to the screen, but unlike the Latias and Latios she knew, their feathers were light emerald green and yellow instead of blue and reddish pink. "Mom, say hi to your grandkids! This is Amber and Onyx. Say hi to Grandma!" Before they could even say anything, Delia fell out of sight. "Where did Grandma go?" Ash gulped, "Uh, I think she fainted. I hope she didn't hurt herself."

After getting everyone outside, Max checked the Pokenav. "OK. Now that we have all eight badges, we need to get to Ever Grande City. It's directly East of here." Neo made everyone step back, "OK. We'll have to fly." To the shock of his nephew and niece, he Transformed into a Lugia! Onyx yelled, "WHOA! THIS IS... UNREAL!" Neo laughed, "Get used to it! I've been able to do this for my entire life!" In a minute, the group was on their way to Ever Grande City. However, Neo had a bad feeling in his gut that when they got there, something horrible would be waiting for them.

One day before, the Team Rocket experiment had begun. Giovanni was placed in a stasis pod. The strange dark orb that was found in the Orange Islands was going to be fused to him. During the process, Giovanni could feel enormous power building up inside him. Several minutes into the process, he felt an ancient evil fill his mind. When the experiment ended, he stepped out of the tube. "Sir, are you all right?" He replied, "I've never felt better. Where is XD-385?" James and Jessie spoke, "He's heading towards Ever Grande City." Giovanni grinned, "Prepare a transport! This time, that Bioweapon is mine!"


	17. The Ultimate Evil

As the group closed in on Ever Grande City, May and Bayleef had their hands full entertaining Onyx and Amber, who had been born the previous night. They asked many questions while their aunts usually had the answers. More than anything, they had their father's loving personality. Onyx and Amber also got along very well. Even their uncles, Mewtwo and Latios, seemed like different people around them. Neo was too busy transporting everyone, so he was unavailable to play with them. Still, he enjoyed listening to their playful romping.

Finally, the two infants surprised Ash, "Daddy? How did you and Mommy first meet?" Ash blushed, "Well, we met about a year ago in the city of Altomare. While I was there, we bonded and she ended up falling in love with me. Just before I left, she gave me my first kiss. Several months later, I couldn't stand being away from her any longer and went back to her. After that, we never left each other." Amber cried, "That's so beautiful! You look so cute together! Are you gonna get married someday?" Latias gave Ash a very seductive look. Ash answered, "You bet we are! We just have to decide on a date!" Amber yelled, "I get to be the flower girl!" Onyx added, "I get to carry the ring!" Latias spoke, "I really don't think a ring will fit on my arm. We'll have to settle for a bracelet."

Eventually, they got caught in a rainstorm. No one minded getting a little wet. In fact, Amber and Onyx liked getting wet. Even Ash put his hat in his backpack so his hair would get wet. Latias was thinking back on all the days that she and Ash had spent together. However, that one nightmare she experienced on the night before Ash found her again was on her mind. Finally, she spoke to Ash. "Dear, do you think that nightmares can come true?" Ash looked at her funny, "Why do you ask that?" She clutched at him tightly, "That day you came back to me? The night before, I had a terrible nightmare. I dreamed that I was in a forest. It was raining. However, the rain almost tasted like tears. I could hear Pokémon crying all around me. I went ahead of where I was and came to a clearing. In the middle were you, impaled on a golden sword. I pulled it out and cast it aside. I then tried to use Recover on you, but you were already dead. I will never forget the feeling of sorrow and loss I felt when I held your lifeless body in my arms. A moment later, someone behind me spoke. When I turned around, a powerful and tall humanoid creature struck me with that golden sword. I woke up right then." Ash asked, "OK, but why did you ask me that question?" Latias clutched at him even tighter, "I feel like I'm about to lose you. Somehow, I feel like this is the last day that I'll ever see you." Ash looked at her with concern. Latias squeezed his hand, "Ash, please. Promise me that I'll wake up with you next to me tomorrow! Promise me that we'll be together forever!" Ash embraced her, "I promise. I'll never leave you. I'll always be there for you and our kids." Tears began to trickle down his face. Somehow, he also had a nagging feeling that this would be the last day that he would be alive.

After about an hour, they landed on the outskirts of Ever Grande City. Everyone saw why Neo had to fly them there. The place was surrounded by sheer cliffs and waterfalls! Ash yelled, "ALL RIGHT! The Pokémon League is just ahead! Let's go!" Ash ran off with everyone trying to keep up. After about a minute of sprinting, an explosion occurred ahead of Ash! Once everyone caught up, Neo jumped in front of everyone. He could sense a massive amount of Shadow energy ahead, an amount far greater than what Black Tulip used. When the smoke cleared, they saw Giovanni standing there unharmed.

"I do believe that this is the first time we've ever met, XD-385. I am Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket and your future master." Amber asked Latias, "Mommy, who is XD-385?" Latias replied, "That was the name that Neo had at first, but your father gave him a new name because Neo didn't like his old name." Neo scoffed, "That's too bad." Giovanni was puzzled, "What is too bad?" Neo explained, "I'm afraid that I am stuck protecting my current master. Also, by the time I would be relieved of my duty, you would be dead. It is his destiny to kill you."

Giovanni laughed, "His destiny? I think not. Tell you what. Let's make a bargain. If you come with me, I'll spare the lives of your friends. Does that sound reasonable?" Ash stepped forward, "He's not my servant, and he's my friend." Onyx yelled, "Dad, you're so cool!" Giovanni got a twisted idea just then, "So, I see that you and that Latias actually succeeded in producing offspring. I remember that it was you and you alone who killed Black Tulip. I wonder if your children have the same abilities as you." At the sound of this, Ash ascended to his first powered up form! "Don't you dare touch them!" Giovanni laughed, "I was only joking! There's no way that they can hold their own against the ultimate bioweapon. Now, I'll ask one last time. Will you come with me?"

Ash said to everyone, "Get out of here, now. Keep Onyx and Amber safe." Latias flew over to Ash. "No way. I promised that I would never leave you and I'm not going back on my word now." Neo stepped forward, "Me too. If you fight, I'll back you up." Bayleef came forward, "I can keep up now. I won't let him take you away from us." Latios flew next to them. "You are one of the only family I have. I won't abandon you now." Lastly, Mewtwo stood next to his only friend. "I vowed to always love you as a friend. Leaving you would mean breaking that vow. Also, I have a score to settle." Ash sighed, "What am I gonna do with you guys? Fine. Pikachu! I'm counting on you to keep everyone safe!" He released his Pokémon from their Pokeballs. "Guys, I want you to keep everyone safe with Pikachu. Get them to Ever Grande City. I'll see you all later." Grovyle gave his trainer a salute and ran off with everyone else towards Ever Grande City. Amber asked May, "Will Mommy and Daddy be OK?" May smiled, "They've been through tough challenges before. I'm sure they'll be OK."

Giovanni spoke to his opponents, "You are all fools to deny me. I promise to make this quick." A black swirling aura engulfed his body. After a moment, a bright flash lit up the whole area for a moment! When the light dimmed, Giovanni was wearing a suit of black armor that was made out of solidified Shadow energy! Only his upper face was uncovered. Two spikes were jutting up from the back while three were on top of his helmet. He raised his fists to signal that he was ready to fight. Neo whispered, "If he is the Great Evil, he must be much stronger than he looks. Do not hold back at all if you want to live, my friends."

In an instant, Giovanni blew everyone away with a blast from his boot! Latias was the first to recover and made three Dragon Claw slashes at him. However, he blocked them with a shield of Shadow energy on his arm and punched her away! Bayleef activated her secret armor system and slashed at Giovanni with an energy charged Leaf Blade! Giovanni countered with a punch and reached a stalemate for a second when his fist collided with Bayleef's head. He then kicked her away when he thought the moment was right. Latios swooped in for a Dragon Claw attack, but was intercepted at the last second with an uppercut! Just then, Mewtwo saw his chance and kicked Giovanni in the chest, sending him straight towards Bayleef! She sent him back with a horse kick towards Neo! He scored a Take Down attack on him, sending him back towards Bayleef! She quickly slashed Giovanni with her Leaf Blade three times, but ducked when Mewtwo flew right over her head and dropkicked Giovanni towards Ash! He elbow jabbed him towards Mewtwo, but Giovanni blew them away with a sudden burst of Shadow energy from his whole body! Latias tried to get in another Dragon Claw slash, but was slammed by another punch. He then performed a quick 3-hit combo on Bayleef when she tried to ram him from behind. Then he sucker punched Neo when HE tried to sneak attack him.

Things were not looking good for Ash and his friends. Giovanni knocked Ash, Latias and Latios into a row and split into three shadows. They landed three heavy blows on each of them, following up with three simultaneous explosions of kinetic energy! He then pummeled Bayleef for a few seconds and turned his attention on Mewtwo. However, he got in a quick blow to Giovanni and tried to score another hit. Unfortunately, Giovanni warped behind Mewtwo at the last second and blasted him with streams of dark flames from his arms. He then knocked Mewtwo out with a quick barrage of punishing blows. Lastly, he landed a flurry of kicks on Latias, a barrage of punches on Latios, and then summoned a large golden sword that was identical to the one the one from Latias's dream. He slashed Neo just once, and then slashed Ash three times and punched him away. By some weird twist, all six of them landed within just inches from each other. As Giovanni looked at the unconscious bodies of his enemies, he let out a long chuckle.

Amber and Onyx refused to enter Ever Grande City without their parents, so the group waited just outside the city gates. Max muttered, "I know Ash is tough. Neo is almost unstoppable, and the rest of them are really strong too, but I don't think that guy would have decided to take them on alone unless he was feeling really confident." May scolded him, "Max! Don't say stuff like that! You might jinx them!" Amber and Onyx yelled, "YEAH! JINXER!" Max blushed out of shame. "Well, so the twerp's not here, huh?" Everyone looked inside the city gates. Jessie, James, and Meowth were looking really proud of something. Brock groaned, "What do you guys want this time?" James spoke first, "Oh, nothing. The boss is only interested in XD-385 now, so we wouldn't get much if we were to steal Pikachu. Hmmm?" He noticed the tiny Latios and Latias floating near May. "What happened to that Latios and Latias?! Did they shrink and change colors?!" May giggled, "Of course they didn't! This is Amber and Onyx. They're the children of Ash and Latias." Meowth yelled, "WHHHAAATTT?! Dat kid and Latias had babies?! Isn't that illegal?!" Brock yelled, "This coming from criminals?!" Jessie was just over whelmed by their cuteness and just walked right over to them. May yelled, "HEY! Get away from them!" Pikachu was ready to zap her, just in case. However, Jessie replied, "Oh, come on! I just want to see them! They're just too cute for me to not hold." Before May could object, Amber and Onyx were flying all around Jessie. "You have really pretty hair! Can I try on your earrings? Hey! Why are your lips red?" James and Meowth decided to just join in as well. Playing with the infants was the only thing they could think of to pass the time.

Giovanni looked over the bodies of his opponents. "Such a shame. If that was your best, XD-385, then I really don't need you after all." Suddenly, Neo said, "Want to bet?" Both he and Ash flew a few feet off the ground and let out a scream! The instant they did, a black orb expanded from Ash while an Emerald green one came from Neo! They expanded to the sky and caused a bright flash that could be seen from Ever Grande City! When Giovanni could see again, Ash had become one with the power of darkness again. His eyes were white and his hair was a fiery hue. A dark blue and Blood red aura surged around him. Neo's eyes and hair had become Emerald green, indicating that his powers were at their limit! A fierce green aura surrounded him. Also, he was holding a pair of Bone Clubs, one in each hand.

All Giovanni could say was, "W-what's this?!" Before he knew what happened, Ash and Neo slammed him skyward! When Giovanni was a full mile in the sky, Ash body slammed him while Neo whacked him with his Bone Clubs! After a second, Ash sliced through him at light speed while Neo detonated two Selfdestruct orbs on Giovanni! Ash flew around Giovanni while pummeling him from all sides! Neo then bashed him while zooming by, causing him to not feel the blow for an instant. Ash split into three shadows and attacked Giovanni all at once, followed by the explosive attack that Neo inflicted a second before! Neo then created a Substitute, who then dash punched Giovanni three times while Ash did the same from the other side! Lastly, the Substitute caught Giovanni in a pincer grab and used Explosion! Ash then summoned a sword made of dark energy and slashed away at Giovanni in unison with Neo's Bone clubs! After Neo rocketed through Giovanni, Ash performed a downward slash while two shadows rammed Giovanni and exploded! Lastly, Neo bashed him two more times, and then blasted him with a Sonicboom! Dazed, Giovanni fell towards the ground.

By this time, Latias, Latios, Bayleef, and Mewtwo had woken up. When they saw Giovanni falling towards them, Latias made the first move. She made a quick double Dragon Claw attack before Bayleef got there and slashed him with an energy charged Leaf Blade while Latias continued to hack away. Latias then performed a Headbutt and Bayleef caught Giovanni with a Vine Whip. Then she and Latios performed a devastating six slash combo on him! After that, Bayleef spun her Leaf Blade around to slice away at Giovanni! She then fired three Solarbeams from the solar panel covered leaves on her neck! Finally, she launched as much solar energy she could harness all at once, blasting Giovanni with a barrage of multiple bursts! Then it was Latios's turn. All he did was perform an uncountable number of Dragon Claw attacks on him. Still, there was so many that it didn't matter what attack he used! Next was Mewtwo. He first dealt a flurry of kicks to his former master and followed up by scattering a few dozen Shadow Balls around him and then causing them to all explode into him! He then began to slash away with Iron Tail and ended it with a powerful Hyper Beam! Latias was next. After head butting him again, Latias gathered as much power as possible to destroy the man who intended to kill the boy she loved. Once she was ready, Latias unleashed all her draconic fury on this monster! She constantly slashed away at him with Steel Wing while firing Mist Balls from both arms and shooting laser like light from her eyes! It was so painful, Giovanni was screaming in agony! After ten painful seconds, she slashed away with Dragon claw a few more times and then thrust her arms into his belly from below! After a second, she managed to use Fire Spin to send him into the sky!

High in the sky, Neo resumed his assault on Giovanni with a lightning fast barrage of blows from his Bone Clubs by wielding them like dual swords. After an uncertain amount of blows, he struck Giovanni with both clubs at once, sending him straight down! However, Ash swooped in and grabbed him from behind! While screaming at the top of his lungs, the Chosen One nosedived towards the ground while spiraling out of control! At the last second, he let go of Giovanni, causing him to plunge headfirst into the ground! The only thing everyone heard was a loud yell of pain.

While Giovanni lied on the brink of death, he heard a voice in his head. (I can help you. Allow me to merge with you and we will destroy this child. Trust me.) Taking the word of this voice for granted, Giovanni felt something of supreme darkness fill his body and mind.

Ash floated over the crater. It didn't seem like Giovanni was going to climb out. Latias screamed, "Ash! Did we get him?!" As he started to give his sweet heart a thumbs up, a green laser blasted him from the crater! Ash let out a startled shout of pain as he was sent high up! Everyone looked on at what rose out of the crater. The sky turned blood red as a green pyramid of light encased Giovanni. He let out a loud groan. When the pyramid disappeared, Giovanni's armor had changed! His chest armor was thicker while his boots and gauntlets had a single large spike pointing upwards. His shoulder pads had widened and two wing like appendages were on his back. Also, there were black markings above and below his eyes. Mewtwo stuttered, "What a-are you?" When he spoke, Giovanni sounded like there were two voices speaking at once. Aside from his voice, there was a darker, distorted voice speaking. "Do not call me that. Giovanni is the name of a man who failed in his ambitions. From now on, I will be forever known to this world as "The Nightmare." Latias was frozen with dread. The armor he was wearing was the same as the armor her attacker wore in that nightmare she had! The Nightmare was the one who would murder Ash!

With nothing else to say, The Nightmare began his reign of terror by attacking his opponents! He blasted all four of them at once with a sinister ray from his eyes! One by one, using nothing more than his brute strength, Nightmare went after Ash's closest friends. He started with Latias, pummeling her until she was no longer conscious. He then did the same to Mewtwo. Then he targeted Bayleef, except this time, he used his massive sword. After five slashes, Bayleef passed out. Fortunately, her armor prevented the blade from getting through. After dealing with Latios, Nightmare set his sights on XD-385. When Neo closed in, Nightmare blasted him with his eye beam attack. Neo then Teleported behind him and threw his Bone Clubs as Bonemerangs! While Nightmare was busy knocking them out of the way, Neo charged up energy for a Hyper Beam. When Nightmare was right up in his face, Neo let him have it. The blast engulfed Nightmare entirely. When the smoke cleared, Neo was dumbfounded to see him without a scratch! He was fighting at his greatest power, and he hadn't even put a dent in his armor! With no way to defend himself, Neo was bombarded with ruthless physical blows laced with Shadow energy. Once Neo was knocked out of the fight, Ash tried to attack Nightmare from behind. However, he back flipped over him. The two fighters just stared at each other for a moment. Telepathically, Neo spoke to Ash, (Master, you must get away. He... he's unstoppable. Please escape. You have to live! Please...) Ignoring his guardian's pleas, Ash let out a scream of pure rage and charged Nightmare. At the speed of light, they took the fight to the air.

After a moment, they reappeared in front of each other. Nightmare began to pummel Ash at high speed. However, Ash blew him away with a roar of energy and scored a very powerful and painful attack from behind. Sadly, that was the last time Ash would succeed in harming him. Nightmare began to attack Ash without mercy, causing Ash to let out screams of sheer agony. With brute force and deadly slashes, the beating continued for an agonizing 20 seconds. Further into the beating, Nightmare began to rely more on his sword. At one point, he thrust the sword through Ash and dislodged him by sending a blast of Shadow energy through the blade! At the end, Nightmare grabbed Ash by the top of his head. Ash was too weak to move at all.

Nightmare said one last thing to his enemy, "Chosen One. I'll put you out of your misery right now!" He pressed his open hand against Ash's chest. All five of his allies were watching in fear. What was going to happen? Soon, they had their answer. In one last brutal act, Nightmare simultaneously let go of Ash and blasted a wave of Shadow energy right through his body! Ash didn't even scream. As Latias, Bayleef, and everyone else watched the Chosen One fall from the sky with a trail of blood following him, an indescribable sorrow filled their hearts. However, no one felt worse than Latias. Her nightmare had come true. She had just lost the love of her life. Even worse, the Earth had lost its savior. The Chosen One had fallen.


	18. Destiny Fulfilled through Tragic Loss

Ash fell to the ground. He landed with a loud thud on his face. His hair returned to its original black color. His blood red and dark blue aura flickered for a moment, and then vanished. Neo watched in shock. (Master... No... This can't be true... You...) For the first time in his life, Neo shed his very first tear of sorrow. Mewtwo, Latios, Bayleef, and Latias were just as devastated. The ultimate Doomsday scenario had occurred. Ash, the Chosen One, was dead.

At the gates of Ever Grande City, Team Rocket and Ash's friends felt a terrible foreboding. The sky was turning dark and storm clouds were forming. Pikachu and Meowth couldn't understand why they couldn't stop themselves from crying. However, Amber and Onyx knew. Amber tugged on May's shirt and asked, "Aunt May? Is Daddy gonna be all right?" Somehow, May knew the truth. With tears in her eyes, she replied, "No, I don't think your Daddy is all right." Onyx asked, "Really?" Everyone looked at May. She fell to her knees, "I don't know how I know. I can feel it. He... He's dead." All of Ash's Pokémon burst into tears at the news that their closest friend and Trainer was gone. Amber and Onyx clutched at Brock's chest tightly as they screamed at the loss of their father. Max spoke, "No, she's wrong. He can't be dead. He's come so far. He can't be gone!" Meowth added, "The poor kid. I don't know why, but I already miss him." At that moment, rain came down, rain that tasted like tears.

The world over, Pokémon became aware of the death of the Chosen One. The first ones to know were the Pokémon that Ash had trained. Even his long lost friends, Primeape, Butterfree, Lapras, and Charizard, could feel that he was no more. Lugia was torn at the loss of his future son-in-law. Within the Tin Tower, the Crystal Bells tolled slowly like a church bell at a funeral. All over the planet, a sorrowful roar filled the atmosphere as every Pokémon on the planet mourned the death of the Chosen One.

Back at the battleground, Nightmare walked over to Ash's corpse. With the side of his sword, he gently nudged the side of his head. There was no response. "Hmph. He was a worthy fighter. Too bad he didn't surrender." Latias cried, "Ash... You meant everything to me... You promised me that we would be together forever just a few hours ago... Now you're gone. It shouldn't be this way!" Bayleef thought to herself, "Ash... You were the first boy I ever loved. You risked your life to save me in that snowstorm a year ago. How could he do this to you?!" Mewtwo cursed, "Ash... You were my only friend. You spared my life when any other human would have let me die. I vowed to protect you with my life. I tried my hardest, but failed. That monster... I'll...!" Latios wept, "You... You were like a brother to me. You gave my sister the most important thing in existence. Your love. If it wasn't for you, I would still be in the realm of the dead, and Latias might be with me right now. This world needed you..."

Nightmare spoke, "Well, now that is no one who can stop me, I'll just... What?" He looked back at the five fighters who were climbing to their feet. Neo spoke, "Where do you think you're going?" Nightmare just looked at him funny. "You destroyed the one person who could keep this world alive. You can tell by this rain that the planet itself has lost its will to live. In just a few years, Earth will be a cesspool where nothing can survive. Well, I don't intend to let you live to see that day!" At that moment, Neo, as well his allies, used Recover to heal their wounds. However, Bayleef used Synthesis instead. Nightmare chuckled, "You know you can't win." Neo raised a fist, "Actually, we have a fighting chance this time. You want to know why?" Nightmare suddenly realized what he meant. "The most dangerous kind of fighter is one who does not fear death! This world is doomed, so we don't care if we live or die. Prepare yourself!"

All at once, the rage blinded friends of the Chosen One charged the Nightmare. Neo tried to Mega Kick him in the face, but Nightmare grabbed Neo by the foot. He tried to impale Neo with his sword, but Neo used Leaf Blade to cut off his own leg to escape! It regrew an instant later, which Neo used to Blaze Kick Nightmare! The blow hit hard and sent him towards Mewtwo! The superclone attacked with a barrage of invisible blows with psychic force! Bayleef closed in and slashed away with an energy charged Leaf Blade attack! If that wasn't enough, her armor projected four solid images around Nightmare and slashed away in unison for ten seconds at extremely high speeds! After that, Latias and Latios blasted him with a Mist Ball and Luster Purge! Latios and Mewtwo used their Freeze Storm attack and froze Nightmare solid for a moment. Mewtwo then blew him away with a Hyper Beam! Nightmare landed a good distance away before he regained his balance.

"Those vermin! They think they can- wha?" Nightmare was cut off in mid sentence at the feeling of intense heat under his boots. Suddenly, a massive Eruption blasted him from below! Everyone was shocked to see Groundon emerge from the fissure with a mighty roar! However, they also saw that tears were falling from his eyes. Latios yelled, "Do you see now, Nightmare?! The entire world is against you!" Not the least bit shaken, Nightmare tried to counter against Groundon, but was caught off guard by a Sheer Cold attack from behind! Kyogre had joined the fight by climbing the waterfalls at the edge of the island! Just then, a massive Hyper Beam blasted him from the sky! Rayquaza had arrived to avenge the Chosen One. Like Groundon, both Kyogre and Rayquaza had tears falling from their faces.

Before Nightmare could even speak, a rain of ice, fire and lightning pounded into him from above! Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres had joined the fight. After that, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou barraged Nightmare with elemental attacks while running at high speed around him! While he was reeling from those attacks, Neo and his nine siblings got into formation. They began to gather cold, heat, and electrical energy. When Nightmare noticed what they were doing, Mewtwo, Latias, and Latios used psychic force to hold Nightmare in place! The entire Hoenn region began to quake as the ten fighters reached their limit. Finally, Neo shouted, "FOR THE CHOSEN ONE! BIG BANG ATTACK TIMES FOUR!" At those words, Rayquaza, Groundon, Kyogre, Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos, Entei, Raikou, Suicune, and XD-385 unleashed four simultaneous Big Bang attacks that merged into one gargantuan wave of the three elements! Nightmare had no chance of evading such a force and was consumed by it. The blast pushed far out to sea and exploded with a rainbow of colors!

Neo relaxed, "We did it. It's over." A voice spoke from everywhere, "Oh really? I suppose I should tell you a little secret about attacking in a group; no matter how many weaklings fight against a single foe, they are still weaklings." Nightmare appeared in front of the group in a flash with sword in hand. "I have to say that last one really hurt. This time, I'll make sure none of you get up a-GRAH!" He was cut off by a Sacred Fire attack from above! Ho-oh had arrived at the last second to aid Earth's last line of defense. However, it was not enough. "NO MORE! NOW YOU ALL DIE!" Nightmare blew the flames away with a swing of his sword and slashed Ho-oh at light speed! The mighty phoenix collapsed to the ground while Nightmare used only his sword to attack the rest of his enemies. In less than a minute, only Neo was left standing.

As Neo struggled to stay out of reach of Nightmare's attacks, he sent a telepathic message to the Pokémon of the world, begging them for aid. Finally, Nightmare struck a painful slash on Neo's left shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Nightmare loomed overhead, "I must say that you are a severe disappointment to me. If this really is your best, I'm ashamed to have ever wanted to control you. Fare well." He thrust his sword down towards Neo's chest. Neo thought, (Think again.) Just before it pierced his chest, Neo grabbed the blade with just one hand! Nightmare strained to break free, but Neo's grip wouldn't budge. "You... Where did you find this strength?!" Neo coolly replied, "It's not just mine." With a flick of his wrist, Neo broke the blade in half! His Emerald green hair and eyes began to shine brightly.

Nightmare jumped back, "What happened?! No one could have done that to my sword!" Neo laughed, "True, you may have been able to fight 385 Pokémon at once, but now you face billions!" Nightmares eyes went wide with shock, "B-billions?!" Neo explained, "Even as I say these words, the Pokémon of the world are sharing their strength with me. All of that power is bonding with my body. They want me to win just as much as I want to see you die!" A massive shock wave came from his body as all the power being sent to him merged with his own. His Emerald green aura became a rainbow of 17 colors, one for each Pokémon element type! He took a stance as if he was about to sprint and said, "THE END HAS COME!"

In an instant, Neo dashed at speeds so great that the ground became upturned! An instant later, Nightmare felt a powerful elbow jab to his gut! He coughed up some blood at that blow. Neo sent him into the air with an upward kick to the chin! He then rocketed after him and bombarded him with Doubleslaps, Comet Punches, Double Kicks, Arm Thrusts, and Fury Attacks! Finally, he sent Nightmare flying towards the ground, but intercepted him and sent him upwards! He then began to bash Nightmare around in a figure eight pattern while moving too fast to be seen! He then grabbed him and sent Nightmare into the ground with a Seismic Toss! He then followed up with a Fissure attack to his back, cracking his armor! He then held both hands apart by a short distance and gathered light blue energy into them. "Let's see how you like this! HADOKEN!" He fired the blast from both palms straight down at Nightmare, causing a bright flash and a loud boom! Mewtwo thought, (Interesting. That attack is useable only by Lucario. It seems that he can use the signature attacks of the Pokémon who lended him their powers.)

Nightmare was stunned, (My armor... can't withstand this pounding! I just can't keep up! All I can do is wait for the right instant to counter!) He then began to gather a massive amount of Shadow energy into his right arm. However, Neo was attacking him with such speed and force that Nightmare was almost completely helpless! "SO... ARE... YOU... BEGGING... FOR... MERCY?! WELL... TOO... BAD! I'M... GONNA... MAKE... YOU... SUFFER!" Neo assaulted Nightmare with the strongest attacks he could think of. Hydro Pump, Fire Blast, Volt Tackle, Aeroblast, even Horn Drill! At last, Neo used Hydro Cannon. Even though he wasn't affected by the recoil that much, Nightmare got his chance. He teleported behind Neo while he recovered from the recoil from using the mighty Water type attack. Quickly, Nightmare spoke, "HA HA HA HA HA! YOU TRIED SO HARD, BUT YOU WILL FAIL! I WILL DESTROY THIS WORLD ONCE I'M DONE WITH YOU! BUT NOW, YOU DIE!" When he finished that sentence, Nightmare unleashed a ridiculously powerful blast of Shadow energy from his hand! Everyone who had taken part in the battle looked on in sheer horror as the ultimate bioweapon was engulfed by the deadliest attack they had ever seen! When the smoke cleared, they saw Neo fly into a tree. He was barely conscious.

Nightmare walked over to Neo and held out his hand. "You were a fool. However, I respect you enough to make your end quick and painless." He began to gather Shadow energy for one final blast. Neo saw his entire life flash before his eyes. His life had lasted less than a year, but he had thoroughly enjoyed himself. Still, he felt terrible grief for failing to complete his duty as the Guardian of the Chosen One. His rainbow colored aura disappeared and his eyes and hair returned to their original colors. (Master. I have... failed...)

Just before Nightmare ended Neo's life, he stopped at the sound of a cough. It got everyone's attention. The sound had come from Ash's corpse. He coughed again. He hardly moved, but he was alive. Just barely. Latias whispered, "Ash... My love... Thank you... Even if we die, at least we'll die within the same minute." Nightmare dissipated the Shadow energy in his hand, "So, he still lives." He then walked over to Ash and stood in front of him. He was lying face down in a puddle of his own blood. His wounds were mortal. Even though he was alive, Ash was dying.

Nightmare spoke, "So, Chosen One. Do you know why you are in this predicament?" Ash remained silent. "Never mind. I know you can hear me, but you are probably in too much pain to speak. Anyway, I'll tell why. You have always respected and befriended the weak. Think of the Pokémon you raised. Even after unlocking the first step of your potential you still treated them as equals. You had no use for them and yet, you still kept them by your side. How pathetic." Mewtwo thought, (Monster. He kept us by his side because he loved us. Not because we fought for him. He was our friend. My... friend...) Mewtwo could no longer think as he silently burst into tears.

Nightmare continued, "The Pokémon that you raised were always your biggest weakness. Even at the risk of injury, you always stopped my underlings from taking any Pokémon you had grown even remotely attached to. You even fell in love with one and became a father to that Pokémon's offspring. They were both inferior to your abilities and you kept them by your side and loved them. What nonsense. You've been a fool all along." Latias yelled, "Shut up! You could never know what it's like to fall in love and have children! You always been interested in nothing more than personal gain! You have no right to criticize him!"

Ignoring Latias, Nightmare went on, "Well, you can easily see that your pointless bond with your Pokémon and friends has led to your own death. Regardless of whether I strike now or not make no difference. You are losing so much blood that your life will soon come to an end. I don't pity the weak like you do. That is why you are dying and I am alive and well. I suppose that I'm just rambling now. Soon, you will die, AND I'LL MAKE THIS ENTIRE WORLD SUFFER! EVERYTHING WILL BURN TO THE GROUND! ESPECIALLY YOUR LOVED ONES! AND ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS! I'll make sure your children and sweetheart get SPECIAL TREATMENT! FUH WAH HA HA HA HAA!"

Nightmare had no way of knowing, but everything he said was making Ash madder and madder. But when he spoke what he intended to do to Latias and his children, something snapped inside of him. In his mind, Ash saw the three orbs. The blood red one was still glowing with a maleficent aura while the golden one was a little dim. Just then, the golden orb began to shine just as brightly as the red one! Then, the third orb, the one in between the two, began to shine with an intense white light! The two other orbs began to gravitate towards the white one. The instant they touched, his vision ended. The time had come.

Nightmare thought he heard something and asked, "Hmm? Did you say something?" To everyone's shock, Ash began to slowly climb to his feet! His body was dripping with his blood and the hole made by Nightmare's sword could be seen in his jacket. Once Ash was standing he yelled, "I... won't... LET YOU!" At that instant, red lightning emitted from his eyes and zapped Nightmare well! He let out a loud scream of pain and was blown a good distance away! Latios stuttered, "Wha... When... How did he do that?!" Mewtwo replied, "I think Nightmare just stirred up a hornet nest." Ash just stood there while his eyes glowed like red embers. He levitated a short distance into the air and covered his face with a cross shaped guard stance. He pulled up his legs and appeared to be in a fetal position.

"IMPOSSIBLE! IT CAN'T BE!" Nightmare flew at Ash, "I'm not going to wait for you to die on your own! It's over!" As he closed in on him, Ash let out a growl of a beast. Just when Nightmare was about to send his fist into Ash's face, Ash threw his arms and legs down and blew Nightmare away with a shout! With a yell, he ascended into his first form, his hair having turned silver while a golden flame enshrouded his body. Then, with a scream of rage, a sphere of darkness quickly expanded from his body as he entered his second form. Then, he lowered to a few inches off the ground in an instant and created a wide, but shallow crater below him! Two inter dimensional gates with runic inscriptions on their golden rims opened out of nowhere at his sides. His dark aura disappeared as lightning flashed across the sky! He curled up again as arcing bolts of unknown power entered his body from the gates! He let out an otherworldly groan as a runic gate appeared from inside his body and surrounded him. Suddenly, a third gate opened above him! Triangular arcs of energy flashed in between the three gates! Finally, Ash let out another strange groan as the earth began to shake as lightning rained down next to him. One by one, three runic gates closed in on his body. Once the third disappeared into him, Ash's body turned completely black. Suddenly, he let out a roar like a scream from a netherworld as the entire area was engulfed with white light! Trees were uprooted and boulders turned into sand!

Back at the gates of Ever Grande City, Amber, Onyx, Pikachu, and all the other Pokémon in the world stopped crying abruptly. May asked, "Are you feeling better now?" Amber yelled, "Daddy's OK!" Onyx added, "Yep, and he's really mad too!" Almost instantly, the rain stopped. Suddenly, a pillar of holy light shot into the sky from where Ash and his friends were! Meowth spoke, "Whoa, I don't think we want to get any closer than this. Something BIG is going on over there!" James asked, "Do you think it has something to do with that twerp?" Meowth replied, "Actually, I think it IS the twerp!" May could feel it too. (What is this I'm feeling? It feels like Ash, but not the Ash I know. Its light... no, dark! Wait, it's... both?!)

The light receded on the battlefield. Latias felt her heart leap when she saw Ash standing up. His wounds had healed somehow. However, he was enveloped by red and black flames, a sure sign of the power of darkness. Also, two runic circles were spinning around him. They were changing from blood red to gold. Just then, the flames and circles disappeared, and everyone gasped at Ash's new form. His hair had grown to about 2 feet long and was pointing up and back! It had become pure white with some of it tinged with gold coloration. His clothes had also transformed. His shirt and pants had changed in appearance as well as in color. They had become black, white, and light blue while appearing to have the sturdiness of armor. However, the most shocking change was his eyes. They had become empty and white. He almost looked like some sort of spirit or demon! Neo managed to think, (What is this power? Could this be the true potential of the Chosen One? The... Ultimate Power to defend life on Earth? I can't believe that I've lived to see it...) He lost consciousness.

Nightmare flew over to Ash and stopped several feet from him. "What's this? A new level?" To everyone's horror, he created a new sword and held it above his head! "HA! A useless transformation! NOW DIE!" The instant he swung his sword, there was a sudden flash. Without moving another part of his body, Ash summoned a sword of dark energy and stopped Nightmare's attack. Suddenly, it changed. The sword became solid and was about a few inches longer than his whole body! The blade was black and was single edged. It had a faint golden glow all over it. Near the hilt were four spikes in an X shape sticking out from where the blade was attached. The blade also had a blood red edge on both sides. There were light blue runes on one half of the blade while gold ones were on the other. Lastly, the blade was somewhat serrated. Two extrusions that resembled curved fangs were pointing upwards from the cutting side of the blade, giving the blade three tips.

"WHAT?!" Nightmare shouted when Ash's sword materialized. Suddenly, in a flash of light, Ash sent Nightmare soaring over the horizon with a single slash! Nightmare screamed as he went flying. Just then, Ash appeared to vanish. As Nightmare hurdled through the uppermost atmosphere of the planet, Ash reappeared and flew after him while engulfed by black and red flames and the runic circles from a moment before. In the night sky, Ash appeared to be a bloody looking comet!

While still moving at high speed, Ash made his flames and rings disappear and took a stance. Nightmare came flying back at him to continue the fight. However, Ash slashed through him three times with his sword! Suddenly, Nightmare surrounded by darkness as he felt the sword cut into him three more times. Just then, he heard an extremely distorted voice shout, "DIE!" as a blood red wave of energy covered with runic inscriptions sliced through him! Ash then began to ram into Nightmare from many directions! He then slashed him from above and punched him from behind with the force of lightning! By this time, they had flown 25% around the Earth!

Ash then disappeared and opened a portal to another dimension. Somehow, Nightmare had gotten inside as well and was quickly pummeled by the Chosen One. After knocking Nightmare out through another portal, Ash smacked Nightmare around a little more to knock him off balance. Then, he began to blast him rapidly with powerful bursts of energy from his right palm! After blowing Nightmare away with a final blast at point blank, Ash had flown halfway around the planet! No Pokémon or human who saw him in the stratosphere couldn't stop themselves from cheering.

Ash caught up with Nightmare and slashed him a few more times with his wicked sword. After that, he disappeared while two portals opened at Nightmares sides! A shadow of Ash appeared in each one. Simultaneously, they blasted him with a burst of green energy! Ash appeared below Nightmare with a roar and slammed him through one of the portals! However, he ended up flying out the other one and into Ash's boot! He then grabbed him by the face and let a surge of light and dark energy zap Nightmare's body! Ash then quickly flew around Nightmare while screaming and slashing away at him! The last slash sent him towards the last 25% of space that they had not entered yet.

Suddenly, a whirlwind swallowed Nightmare and four orbs of energy were sucked in too! They began to blast Nightmare from all directions as they spun around him, causing him to wail in pain! After a minute of tormenting Nightmare, Ash shot through the whirlwind and snatched up one of the orbs. He fired three blasts from it before chucking it into Nightmare, which caused it to explode like a grenade. He did the same with another orb, but grabbed both of the remaining orbs and dumped all their power into on potent blast! After punching Nightmare into place, Ash began to hack away at him while screaming at the top of his lungs! The final slash created an X shaped tear in the dimensional field for an instant! Also, Nightmare was sent flying straight down towards Ever Grande City!

At the gates of Ever Grande City, Jessie finally brought up the question, "Um, where's the Boss, anyway?" Just then, Max yelled, "INCOMING! GET DOWN!" A second later, a screaming Nightmare barely overshot the group and crashed through a boulder ahead of them! He finally came to a stop on his back. James freaked, "YIKES! Don't tell me that's the Boss?!" Nightmare replied, "GRAHH, NOT ANYMORE I'M NOT! I have no use for you or anyone else!" Meowth sighed, "Guess dat means we're fired." Just then, Pikachu let out a shout when he looked up. Ash landed in front of the group with his back turned. Amber squealed, "DADDY! YOU'RE OK!" Before Ash could say anything back to her, his daughter was up in his face and kissing him. Ash remained silent, but gently embraced her. Onyx asked, "Wow, Dad! What happened to your clothes and hair?" He looked back at his son. Everyone jumped at the look of his empty eyes. They were completely white, making it impossible to guess what he was feeling by looking at them. Grovyle muttered, "So this is the power of the Chosen One." Finally, Ash spoke with his heavily distorted voice. However, his tone was gentle, "Amber, please stay with everyone. I'm not done yet." She looked like she was going to cry, but replied, "OK. Promise me that you'll come back alive with Mommy!" "I promise." He let go of her and turned to face Nightmare.

By this time, Nightmare had managed to climb to his feet. Shaken, he stuttered, "Wh...What? Wha...What are y..." However, he was cut off by a lightning backed blow to the face! He went sailing into a nearby forest. Frustrated beyond belief, the ancient evil within Nightmare took complete command of his body from Giovanni. He yelled, "Why you little freak!" Suddenly, a laser like blast of Shadow energy sent Ash into a wall! Taking the opportunity, Nightmare began to focus all his mental potential on unleashing all the Shadow energy sealed within his own body. The earth began to shake. Just then, Nightmare let out a roar of strain and frustration as he flooded the entire planet with Shadow energy in an instant! An intense blood red aura covered Nightmare's body while black mist billowed from his armor! The world was plunged into darkness as lightning streaked across the blackened sky. With all the Shadow energy he needed, Nightmare intended to end this fight once and for all.

Ash teleported in front of Nightmare and tried to slam him with his elbow. However, Nightmare was at his strongest now and blocked the bone crushing attack with ease! With a high kick, Nightmare sent Ash into the sky. For just a second, the two fighters matched each other blow for blow. Then Nightmare got the upper hand when he knocked Ash around and slashed him with his massive sword! This only awakened Ash's wrath as he got behind Nightmare in an instant and let out a scream like a sonic boom! However, he flew ahead of Nightmare and swooped into him and slashed him with his sword, only to intercept Nightmare and slash him again! However, after that, they locked blades. Before Ash could react, Nightmare landed a quick combo of painful slashes on Ash and kicked him towards Viridian Forest!

Ash had hardly landed when Nightmare caught up to him. He bashed his enemy around for a second before Ash sucker punched him away! However, Nightmare dropkicked Ash from behind at speeds that no one could detect! A moment later, a tree that was nearby fell over only seconds after Nightmare cut it by mistake. When Ash landed, he reverse ax kicked Nightmare over him! When Nightmare caught up to him again, they began to lock swords while trying to get the upper hand in the fight! Finally, they dashed at each other like in a jousting match! However, Nightmare won that scuffle when his sword clipped Ash's side, causing him to hold his ribs in pain. Not wasting any time, Nightmare quickly slashed away for a second before kicking Ash to the sky! When he caught up to him, Nightmare struck Ash with a roundhouse kick before following up with a barrage of punches and kicks. After another roundhouse kick, he performed a combo with his sword. Finally, Nightmare performed three consecutive roundhouse kicks to send Ash to the edge of Earth's atmosphere! However, Nightmare beat him to it and slammed him towards Ever Grande City. He wanted to make sure that his closest friends could see the death of the Chosen One. Finally, just before Ash hit the ground, Nightmare sucker punched him into a tree, causing him to let out a groan.

"HA HA HAA! I promised you that I would give your sweetheart SPEACIAL TREATMENT! What could be more special than making her watch you die?!" Before Latias, Bayleef, Nightmare, or anyone else could respond, Ash let out an inhuman roar, "NNNNIIIGGGHHHTTTMMMAAARRREEE!" All Nightmare could say was, "NO WAY!" In an instant, Ash rammed him a good distance away! He began to somersault into the air as a golden aura emanated from his body while a golden runic circle closed in around him. The instant it entered his body, Ash let out a scream that was almost painful to hear! His body was surrounded by a fiercely pulsing golden sphere of light while red lightning streaked around its surface! Lastly, waves of darkness billowed around the sphere. Ash's rage had reached its peak and he had unleashed his potential to its fullest!

"You've been a thorn in my side for too long. THIS ENDS NOW!" Nightmare flew at Ash to finish him off! However, Ash ducked under him and hit him with a kick to the gut that sent him towards the edge of the Earth's atmosphere! In an instant, Ash was soaring toward him while twirling his sword in one hand while screaming in rage! When he caught up to the Nightmare, Ash lodged his sword in him! Then he began to thrust it in and out of him without even touching it! During the attack, Nightmare was also being engulfed by black explosions! He then grabbed the sword and began to slash away at Nightmare from one side and then the other. He then began firing massive blasts of light energy from his hands while giving his vocal cords a real workout! He then slashed away at Nightmare again with his sword while three shadows of him did the same from behind! Finally, he began to alternately fire light and dark energy from both hands in huge burst at extremely high speed! Nightmare was in agony at this brutal beating. At last, Ash summoned a sword made of dark energy and, with his solid sword, began to slash away at Nightmare while being fueled by nothing more than rage. Once that was over, Ash took his solid sword and thrust Nightmare into a portal that Ash made behind him! They were engulfed into the very same dark dimension that Ash acquired his dark energy from!

All around him, Nightmare could see only a kaleidoscope of spiraling colors, as well as the screams of countless demons undergoing punishment. He was in a frantic spin. Suddenly, Ash flew up at him from below and drilled right through Nightmare, cutting him in half at the waste! No words could describe the pain he felt. Finally, four interdimensional gates opened at different angles around Nightmare, with a shadow of Ash in each of them. Each was holding a large sphere of light energy in their hands! Nightmares last words were, "No...NO...NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" All at once, the four shadows blasted Nightmare with massive blasts of pure light energy! Nightmare let out one last scream of agony as the light energy erased his dark soul. Giovanni was more fortunate. Ash had enough mercy left in his heart to not destroy him entirely.

The moment that Nightmare ceased to exist, the sky on Earth returned to its original blue or black color, depending on the time zone. In the Orange Islands, Lugia breathed a sigh of relief, "He did it. The Chosen One has saved us all." All Pokémon on the planet rejoiced at the triumph of their savior. Somehow, even humanity knew of what had happened and rejoiced as well.

Ash emerged from a portal from the dark realm at the battle field where his fiancé and friends laid, still too injured to move. With a bright flash, Ash let out a gentle breath as his friends wounds began to quickly heal. In a moment, everyone was back on their feet. The first two to approach Ash were Latias and Bayleef. With tears of joy, they embraced the boy they loved and nearly lost. Mewtwo and Latios came next. They too were in tears and they gently hugged their closest friend. Then, Ash saw Neo still unconscious. He was still leaning against the tree where Nightmare had left him. "Excuse me." Ash made his way past his friends towards his most trusted and valued ally.

As he got closer, Ash noticed that Neo's wounds had not healed. Was he just out of range? Ash's friends, as well as the Pokémon who tried to stop The Nightmare from enslaving the world, watched with dread. Neo was in bad shape, even for an immortal bioweapon. Ash kneeled down in front of Neo and, with his strangely distorted voice, gently spoke, "Neo, thank you. You tried so hard to keep me alive to fulfill my duty. You are a wonderful Guardian, but you are an even better friend. Thank y..." Ash stopped short of what he was going to say. Latias spoke, "Ash? Mewtwo, what's wrong with him?" Mewtwo's eyes went wide, "No... It can't be..." Latias was shocked at the sight of tears falling from Mewtwo's face!

Ash placed his hand on Neo's shoulder. Just then, his empty eyes began to shed tears. With his voice breaking, Ash spoke, "No... Oh Neo... What have I done?" That last blast of Shadow energy The Nightmare got Neo with was too heavily concentrated. It was his only weakness and he got the worst of it. With the Shadow energy seeping into his body, no amount of self healing moves could save him. Ash embraced his closest friend and wept, "Neo, I'm sorry. I could have entered this form the minute Nightmare had finished pummeling me. But I was afraid. I thought that if I ascended into my ultimate form, I thought that I would have become even more uncontrollable than when I reached my second form for the first time. If I only knew that he would have... If only I... Oh Neo, forgive me!"

Ash tightly embraced his friend's corpse as he cried his eyes out. Soon, everyone around him joined in. They had lost a dear brother and friend. Some of them had lost the only family they had. Neo, Guardian of the Chosen One, XD-385, the Ultimate Bioweapon, was no more.


	19. Farewell to the Guardian

Throughout the Hoenn region, Pokémon were celebrating the Chosen One's triumph over the Nightmare. From the brink of death, he had tapped into his full potential and destroyed him, removing him from existence, forever. However, Ash Ketchum, the Chosen One himself, was anything but pleased. Through his success at fulfilling his destiny, he had lost his Guardian. Even though he had saved the Earth, he felt like a failure.

Ash gripped his closest friend's corpse while sobbing heavily. His fiancé, Latias, as well as his closest friends stood by, silently mourning their brother's death. Mewtwo thought, "He was so young. Why did he have to die?" Suddenly, the ground began to quake. When everyone looked at Ash, they saw that the red and black flames had enveloped his body again! A massive shockwave sent everyone backwards as Ash began to scream at the top of his lungs. Tears where falling from his face as he felt a surge of sorrow, loss, rage, and hatred for himself. The entire planet felt like it was falling to pieces!

Bayleef struggled to climb to her feet while being buffeted by strong winds, "What's wrong with him?! Why is he doing this?!" Latios yelled, "I don't know, but if we don't calm him down soon, he'll shake this whole planet until it falls apart!" Only Latias had the courage to approach Ash while braving his surging dark aura. After a few heart stopping minutes, she managed to place her arm on his shoulder. "Ash, I know it hurts! I know what it's like to lose someone dear to you! But you still have us! We won't leave you! Neo did not die in vain. It was not your fault!" Bit by bit, Ash's aura became weaker and weaker. Soon, it completely disappeared and his armor returned to being his normal clothing. His white hair returned to normal length and turned black again. When Ash opened his eyes, they were the gentle brown color that Latias loved so much.

Bayleef, Latios, and Mewtwo approached their friend to try to keep him calm. Suddenly, Ash yelled, "You don't get it! I'm the one who let Neo die! I could have saved him, but I choked!" He started to cry again and fell to his knees. Mewtwo spoke, "Perhaps you could have saved him, but look." Ash looked at Neo's corpse and was shocked by what he overlooked. Even in death, he was smiling. "You see, the only thing that mattered to him was your survival. He died happy, knowing that you would live on. Don't dishonor his sacrifice." At last, Ash stopped crying. He wiped his tears away and embraced Mewtwo, "Thanks. I needed that." Mewtwo patted his back, "My pleasure."

Ash let go of Mewtwo and turned to Groundon, who was still nearby. "Groundon, I need a chunk of rock." As directed, he thrust his massive claw underground and yanked up a solid piece of bedrock. Ash took it and set it next to the tree were Neo had fallen. Next he summoned his sword, which still glowed an eerie gold. With a single swing, he created a shallow hole next to the tree. Oh so gently, he laid Neo's body in it and began to cover it with the dirt he had removed. "Neo... I'm sorry that I let you die. You always wanted me to be happy, and even threw your own life away for it. I'll never forget you." Once Neo's corpse had been laid to rest, Ash took the chunk of rock and embedded it into the ground at the end of the fresh dirt. Then, using his sword, carved out a few words in the makeshift tombstone. "Goodbye...my friend." Neo's brothers and sisters gathered around the grave to pay their final respects. After they had said their farewell's, Ash spoke to his friends, "I know this sounds cold, but don't tell anyone what happened to Neo, especially Amber and Onyx." Latias agreed, as did everyone else. They were only a few days old and would probably not understand. Lastly, Ho-oh came forward. After spreading her wings, she shed some of her rainbow-colored feathers over the grave, which seemed to absorb them. "Rest in peace, my beloved child." To Ho-oh, Neo was not her brother, but her son. Soon, Ash thanked his many friends before they returned to their homes. He then began to walk towards Ever Grande City, where his friends and children were waiting for him. Mew two, Latias, Latios, and Bayleef stayed close by. On the tombstone, there were just these words, "Here rests Neo, the Guardian of the Chosen One. Born a Destroyer, lived a Guardian, died a hero."

As soon as Ash and his friends and fiancé came within their sight, Amber, Onyx, Pikachu, and all of Ash's other Pokémon came running over to him. Amber and Onyx couldn't stop themselves from crying as they embraced their mother and father. "Mommy, Daddy, we were so worried!" Latias whispered, "Shhhhh, we are all right, my babies. Daddy made sure we would be fine." Ash tried to smile, but was not doing a very good job of it. As soon as they all reached the rest of their friends, May burst into tears and embraced Ash. She couldn't even speak, she was that relieved to see him alive. Max spoke, "Are you really OK, Ash? Hey, where's Neo?" Everyone looked at him. Ash tried to smile again, "He had some business to take care of back in Mossdeep City. He'll be back." Max breathed a sigh of relief, "That's cool. I almost thought he was dead for a second!" Ash left out a nervous laugh.

Meowth suddenly ran up to Ash, "Wait a sec! Where's da Boss?!" James added, "Yeah, you should know! Where is he?!" A moment passed before Ash looked at Team Rocket with a cold stare, "Your boss...is dead." Team Rocket was in shock. Brock asked, "Ash, did you really...?" Ash looked downwards, "I didn't have a choice." Latios spoke after a moment of silence, "He had to kill him. He even claimed he was going to give us "Special Treatment". Finally, Ash said, "Well, I guess I'll go register now. I don't want to miss the competition after everything I've gone through." As Ash walked through the gates, Jessie shouted, "Wait!" Ash sighed, "What now?" All three of them dropped to their knees, "Well... We don't have anywhere to go now. Team Rocket is gone. Please, let us come with you! We'll make it up to you some how!" Ash thought about it for a moment, and then said, "Fine, you can come with us. But if you try anything stupid..." Team Rocket froze at the sight of Ash's eyes turning completely white again. "You can figure it out." After Ash's eyes returned to normal, Team Rocket grasped his legs, giddily thanking him for giving them a second chance. Bayleef muttered, "That's the Ash I fell in love with. Always so forgiving."

After registering and checking into a hotel, which was free for participating Trainers and their companions, Ash locked himself in his bedroom. As he thought back, he could feel more and more hatred for himself. "Neo... You did so much for me... You brought me and Latias together. You brought Latios back from the dead. You helped me and Mewtwo become friends. And, in return, I..." Suddenly, Ash heard knocking on the window. When he looked up, he saw Amber and Onyx floating outside. After letting them in, they tackled him playfully to the bed! Ash let out a slight chuckle.

As Ash hugged his two children, Amber whispered, "I love you, Daddy." This caught Ash by surprise. Onyx added, "I love you too, Daddy." Suddenly, Ash felt tears dripping onto his face. "Daddy, don't ever leave us and Mommy again. Please." Ash grinned a little, "Hey, I'm really sorry if I worried you, but I'm fine now. You're my kids and I want to be a good Dad to you, even if I'm still a kid myself." Amber and Onyx looked up at him with a baffled look. "Really?" Ash let out a good laugh, "Yeah! I guess you can't count yet, but I'm still just twelve years old! Hahahaha!" Amber and Onyx giggled. Their own Dad could relate to them better than they thought. Onyx asked, "Daddy, what's that?" He pointed to a red plastic object sticking out of his backpack. "Oh, that's my Pokedex. It has info on a lot of different Pokémon. Want to see?" His two children squealed and flew over to it and carried it back to their father. For the next hour, Ash showed his children as much data as he could find in the Pokedex.

Late that night, Ash stayed up. The guilt of having let his Guardian die still weighed heavily on his mind. He had tucked his kids into bed and gave them both a goodnight kiss. Latias had gone to bed after Ash told her that he would be along shortly. In fact, it had been over an hour. "I could have saved him. I could have... but I..." Ash was startled by the sound of footsteps behind him. When he turned around, he blushed at the sight of May in a nightgown. They were on the roof of the hotel. Pikachu had accompanied her and seemed really sleepy.

May yawned, "Ash, what are you doing up so late? It's not like you to stay up like this." Ash remained silent for a moment and replied, "I just needed some air. That's all." May's tone turned serious, "No it's not! There's something you're not telling me." Ash began to sweat a little, "What are you talking about?" May looked hurt, "I've seen you depressed before, but not like this. Even after you killed Black Tulip, your depression was different from this." Pikachu looked up at May and then at Ash. May then said, "Something happened to Neo. Tell me. Where is he?!" Ash sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you. But you have to promise to keep this a secret from everyone, especially Amber and Onyx. Pikachu, the same goes for you." They both nodded. "Neo...is not coming back. The Nightmare...he killed him." May just stood there. Pikachu just muttered something, and then fell silent. Finally, May spoke, "You're lying. Neo is immortal! He can't die!" Ash tearfully explained everything that happened to his two friends. At the end, they were both in tears.

"So...that's why. I see why you don't want your babies to know about it. They would be devastated." Ash nodded. "By the way, where is his grave?" Just as he was about to answer, Ash noticed an Emerald green glow coming from outside the city, near where he buried Neo. "Uh, over there." May was shocked by the weird glow. "Is that normal?" Ash shook his head, "I dunno, but I know he's dead. That glow is probably nothing. Well, I'm going to bed. Good night May, Pikachu." Ash went back downstairs and joined his fiancé in bed, leaving a stunned Pikachu and May on the roof, shaken by news of Neo's death.

A few days later, Ash slept later than he usually did. When he walked downstairs to the lobby, he heard, "So master, you ready to show the world your Trainer skills?" Ash's heart leapt. He looked over to one of the sofas, where he heard the voice. For an instant, he saw his best friend and Guardian, Neo. But reality caught up with Ash's mind, and Neo's image vanished. Ash almost felt like crying. Life without Neo seemed unbearable now. "Ash!" Ash looked over to his group of friends who were having breakfast. "Hi, Daddy! We saved you some doughnuts!" Ash walked over and sat down, halfheartedly nibbling on a doughnut.

Brock spoke first, "Hey Ash, did you know that the tournament started today?" Ash glanced over to him. Brock went on, "Lucky for you, your opponent called in sick and you won by default. Pretty lucky, if you ask me." Ash didn't care. He had lost almost all interest in battling. Suddenly, he noticed that May and Pikachu were not present. "Hey, where's May and Pikachu?" James spoke, "Oh, they went out somewhere. They said they would be back in under an hour. Hm? What's with the stare?" Ash replied, "I completely forgot about you three."

May and Pikachu were not far from the battlefield where the planet's fate was decided. May had picked out a bouquet of flowers to place on Neo's grave. However, she wasn't sure if she wanted to see the grave of a good friend. However, when she came within sight of the gravestone, both she and Pikachu stopped. May muttered, "Oh no... He's been..." May dropped her bunch of flowers before running straight back to Ever Grande city.

Ash, Laitas, and Bayleef were watching some TV to pass the time. Suddenly, there was something banging on the door to their room! "ASH! OPEN UP!" Ash opened the door to see May and Pikachu looking like they had seen a ghost. "What's up?" After taking a seat and catching her breath, May went on, "Neo's grave! He...it..." Ash interrupted, "What? Couldn't you find it?" Pikachu spoke, even though May couldn't understand him, "It was empty! Someone dug up his grave!" Everyone in the room froze. "He was...grave robbed?!" This was bad. If Team Magma or Team Aqua had retrieved his corpse, they may be able to use his DNA to craft a more obedient clone to conquer the planet!

Ash stuttered, "This is bad... Really bad!" Before anyone could say anything, Bayleef yelled, "Ash! You have to see this!" On the television, a reporter spoke, "We have just seen all the preliminaries completed. One Trainer in particular really stood out. He won the match without a single attack striking his Pokémon! What was more; he used only one throughout the entire match! Let's get some words from this prodigy. Axl, do you think you'll have any trouble reaching the finals?" The camera moved to capture the face of the boy the reporter was referring to. As soon as Axl could be seen, Ash, Pikachu, Bayleef and Latias stared dumbfounded at the screen. "Oh, I think the only opponent I have to worry about is Ash Ketchum! He is my brother, after all." The reporter wrapped things up, "There you have it, everyone! From Axl Ketchum himself, he seems to have his eyes set on one opponent. But will he be able to defeat his next opponent and meet his brother in the finals?! We'll see tomorrow, when the semifinals occur. Until then, this is reporter Gabby, signing off."

Everyone in the room screamed, "AXL KETCHUM?!" Latias yelled, "Ash, he looks and sounds just like you! Do you really have a twin brother?!" Ash replied, "No way! If I had a twin brother, I would know! But did you see his clothes?! They were the same ones that I wore when I was taking the last three League challenges! How did he get those?!" Just then, the phone to the room ran. When Ash answered it, he heard his Mom speaking, "Ash! Who was that on TV just now?!" Ash answered, "I have no idea! Those clothes he's wearing! Did he steal them from the house!?" Delia answered, "No. I just went upstairs and checked your room. Your clothes and hat are right where I left them." Ash was silent for a moment. "Mom, I don't know who that guy is, but I'll be sure to make it to the finals to ask him myself. See ya, Mom."

"This "Axl" Ketchum... Who is he? And what connection does he have with Ash? Is he really a long lost brother? I guess it would be pretty interesting if he was, but I really doubt it." Latias couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was in store for them. Ash yelled, "Heh, if that Axl guy wants to meet me in the finals, well, bring it on! I'll make sure to beat the next opponent without them forfeiting!" Latias giggled, "I was wondering where the Ash I fell in love with disappeared to!" Ash smiled, "Yeah, I feel a lot better now. This time... I will become the Champ! My dream is to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master! I've waited long enough! This time, the world will learn the name, Ash Ketchum!"


	20. Father and Son

"OK! Well, I'm going for a walk to think up a strategy for the next match. Amber, Onyx, be good for Uncle Mewtwo. OK?" "OK, Daddy! We promise!" Ash headed out the revolving doors of the hotel. After hearing a Trainer by the name of Axl Ketchum claim that he was his brother, Ash was completely focused on making it to the finals.

"Hey, Ash! Were ya going?!" Ash stopped at the sound of his own voice. "Wow, I didn't think I could sound that loud just by thinking." He heard his voice again, "I'm over here! Don't make me chase you!" Ash suddenly realized that it wasn't him that was talking at all and looked around. His eyes rested on what he thought was himself, but realized that his reflection was wearing his former Trainer garbs. "What the...?! YOU! YOU'RE AXL!"

"Yeah, I'm Axl. Are you really so surprised to see your own brother?" Ash pointed at him, "Yeah, right! Mom told me that I never had a brother! Now, who are you?!" Axl shook his head, "Come on, I know we've never seen each other, but just relax. Oh yeah, I came to tell you about your next opponent." This made Ash shut up. "I don't know if you know him, but his name is Lance. OK, see ya!" Axl turned and headed towards the Pokémon Center.

"Lance...I never thought I'd face him here..." Ash wondered as he took a stroll. "I'll bet his Dragonite is as tough as ever. I wonder if that red Gyarados is OK now." The more Ash thought about it, the more fired up he got. "Yeah. He's the champion from Johto! This will be one heck of a match! What the?!" Something had swooped under Ash and took off with him into the sky! However, he couldn't see what was carrying him! "What's going on here?! Is it a ghost?!" Soon, a familiar voice spoke, "Just calm down. I'm taking you somewhere special."

After a minute of flying, Ash was set down in a vast field of flowers. "Ever Grande City is surrounded by patches of flower fields like this." The invisible figure revealed itself. "Latios! Why did you bring me here?" The dragon smiled, "As peaceful as it is here, I thought it would be a great place to think." Ash lay down in the flowers and tried to think of the best way to take on Lance.

Latios lay on his back with his head parallel to Ash's. "You know, Dragon Type Pokémon are weak against their own element. I had a word with Latias and she wants to take part in the battle. I also heard it will be a Double Battle, so we will be fighting side by side. What do you say?" Ash grinned, "OK. But you better not let anything bad happen to her." Latios chuckled, "No worries. Oh, I wanted to give you something." Latios floated up and over Ash. He then set himself down on top of him and embraced him. "Uh, Latios...this is really awkward." Latios sighed, "You're like the little brother I never had. I've always liked you." Ash blushed a little and embraced Latios back, running his hands through his feathers.

"Um, Latios?" The blue dragon looked at Ash. "Could you fly me to the Orange Islands?" Latios smiled, "Absolutely. Climb aboard." Latios let go of Ash and turned himself upright. Once Ash was safely onboard, Latios tucked in his arms and took off at supersonic speed. "YAAAHHHHH! YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME ABOUT THIS!" Ash was gripping Latios's neck in sheer terror.

In under an hour, the two brothers were in the Orange Islands. Latios slowed down and asked, "We're here. Where should I drop you off?" Ash looked around and saw where he wanted to go. "That island down there." Latios began to descend. As soon as Ash touched the ground, he dropped to his knees. "Ah, solid ground!" Latios asked, "So, when would you like me to come back for you?" Ash gave this some thought and replied, "Tomorrow." Latios was curious of what Ash planned on doing overnight on a deserted island, but he wasn't going to interrupt him. "OK. I'll try to keep your kids entertained. Take care!" Latios took to the sky and rocketed back towards Ever Grande City.

Once Latios was out of sight, Ash turned to face the ocean. "Lugia, come out!" Almost immediately, a large figure erupted out of the water and landed before Ash. "You called?" Ash embraced his friend, "It's been a while." Lugia asked, "So, what do you need from me?" Ash backed away and blushed a little, "Well, I just wanted to spend the day with you. Is that OK?" Lugia smiled, "Of course. What kind of father would refuse a day with his child?" Ash looked up in surprise, but calmed down when he remembered their last meeting.

"Well, climb aboard." Lugia lowered his wing for Ash. "OK. Where are we going?" Ash asked as he climbed aboard. "Home." Lugia made a dive into the sea, but Ash was completely dry due to a psychic barrier Lugia was projecting over his back. As they moved over the seafloor, Ash marveled at all the life around them. The corals and other filter feeders lined the floor with color. Any Water type Pokémon they passed gave Ash an odd stare, wondering why he wasn't drowning.

"Well, there it is." Ash looked ahead and saw a domed rock formation only several meters under the surface. At its base was an opening large enough for Lugia to pass through. Soon, they were passing through it and up a tunnel. Before long, they emerged from a pool of water. Ash marveled at the home of Lugia. It was surprisingly roomy. Many light blue crystals adorned the ceiling. He also noticed a wide pile of what seemed to be silver feathers. Lugia noticed and said, "That is a bed that I crafted from my own feathers." Ash ran over to it and belly flopped onto it. He didn't bounce at all and was slightly swallowed. "Wow, this is soft!" Lugia chuckled, "Well, feathers aren't exactly bouncy!"

Back at Ever Grande City, Axl was looking around for a jewelry store. "There's just got to be one somewhere! Oh, there!" Axl ran inside one that was across the street. "Welcome! Oh my, it's uncommon for someone so young to visit!" Axl laughed, "I guess, but I need to get something for my brother and his girlfriend. They're getting married eventually and I was wondering if I could get them a pair of wedding bracelets." The store clerk sighed, "Ah, young love...wait. Did you say wedding BRACELETS?" Axl nodded. "Well, I suppose we have a few. Let me look in the back." Axl looked around the store as he waited. He discovered that he was the only customer. "I guess there aren't many customers during the League Championships."

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long. It would seem that there is only a single set. Take a look." Axl opened the velvet case and marveled at what he saw. They were a pair of gold bracelets with a ruby on one and a sapphire on the other. "Those have been here for quite some time. I heard that the crafter of them based them on the two Pokémon Latios and Latias. He claims that for only a minute, he saw a loving pair soaring through the sky, hand in hand, their blue and red feathers complimenting each other. These bracelets represent the most powerful bond thinkable, capable of transcending species."

Axl gazed at the red and blue gemstones. The ruby reminded him of his sister-in-law's reddish pink feathers while the sapphire reminded him of his brother, who had a habit of wearing a lot of blue. Tears falling, he spoke, "They're perfect. I'll take them." Axl handed the clerk his credit card and paid for them. "If it's not too much trouble, may I come to the wedding?" Axl grinned, "You got it. As soon as I figure out the date, I'll tell you. Thanks again!" Axl ran down the street with a spring in his step, overjoyed that he had found the perfect wedding gift.

"...And that is how I brought an end to that dark cult." Lugia said as he told Ash the tale of the dark cult that created the Nightmare. Ash had been bathing in a hot spring that was in the cave as he listened to Lugia tell the tale. Ash yawned, "Man, I'm tired. I guess it's gotten late. "Are you sleepy?" Lugia rubbed his eyes, "Yes, I am." Ash started to look around for his backpack, but remembered that he left it at the hotel. Lugia chuckled at Ash's frustration and picked him up in his massive hands, "There is no need for clothes. Silver never wore any, so I don't mind it." Lugia walked over to the bed and relaxed on his side. At first, Ash felt embarrassed that he was completely nude, but he became calm in the powerful grip of his father. He felt secure and even felt almost as if he had just been born. Lugia brought Ash to his chest, letting Ash hug him. It reminded him of the moment when his son was born.

"Ash...I should have told you this last time." Ash looked up at Lugia. "I love you. I've always loved you. You're like the son I never had. I always want to be there for you, to watch over you as I did Silver." Ash crawled up to Lugia's face and embraced him. In tears, he whispered, "I love you, Dad." Lugia reached out with his tongue and gently stroked Ash's face. As the stars shone in the sky, the Chosen One fell asleep in the hands of the father he always wanted.

** Previous**

**Next **


	21. Duel of Dragons

"Good morning. I hope you don't mind having fish for breakfast." Ash looked ahead at his father as the smell of freshly cooked fish filled the cave. On what seemed to be a flat topped stalagmite were several fish that looked like they had been grilled. "I cooked them myself." Ash got up, still nude, and walked over to the 'table' and took a deep breath of the aroma. "They smell great, Dad." Lugia smiled, "They should taste great too. Try one." Lugia handed Ash some silverware that he had salvaged from a small shipwreck. They were not the least bit rusty. "Thanks, Dad." Ash started to carve the meat from the bones while Lugia chewed one whole, bones and all.

"Wow. You really know how to cook, Dad." Lugia blushed, "Actually, I just scorched them with fire. I really don't know very much about cooking, but I'm glad you like them." Ash hugged his father's face, "That's OK. I still love you, Dad." Lugia sighed, "And I will always love you, my son." The two of them just stood there for a moment, until Ash remembered something. "OH MAN! I FORGOT THAT I HAVE A MATCH TODAY! I'VE GOT TO GET GOING!" Ash scrambled over to his clothes and got dressed quickly. However, Lugia laughed, "Calm yourself! Your match doesn't begin until 1 p.m. today. You still have time." Ash looked back at his father, his shirt over his legs and one arm through one of his pant's legs. "Oh, thanks for letting me know. Um, could we go topside for awhile?" Lugia nodded, "Sure, but put your clothes on right first." Ash blushed when he saw his arm in his pants while he was wearing his shirt on his legs.

Once they were at the surface, Ash looked around the ruins where he had learned a fragment of his destiny. "This place really brings back memories." Lugia grinned, "Yes. It was truly enjoyable to fly with you on my back." Ash looked back at Lugia, but shocked him with a sad look. "What's wrong?" Ash sighed, "I just don't want to leave you. Will I ever see you again?" Lugia smiled, "I will always be with you. Ash, should you ever wish to see me, call my name when facing the ocean. I will hear you and will appear. Understand?" Ash grinned, "If I knew it was that easy, I would have done it at Mossdeep City!" The two of them laughed, but Ash stopped when he saw his father give him a stern look.

"Ash, heed what I am about to tell you well." Ash was surprised that Lugia would sound so serious so suddenly, but listened closely. "I can sense it. A great evil is somewhere in the Hoenn region, something...familiar..." Ash gasped, "Familiar?! What is it?!" Lugia frowned, "I'm not certain. It is very weak at the moment, as if it is waiting for the right time to emerge. It is so tiny; I can't pinpoint the exact location." Ash walked up to him and patted his blue belly, "Hey, I can handle it. I am the Chosen One, right?" Lugia smiled, "I know. I was just worried. Hm, it seems that your brother draws near. Watch over him, my son. I will see you again." Ash waved goodbye as his father disappeared beneath the waves. "I'll miss you, Dad..."

Ash looked up and saw a familiar shape descending. "I was wondering if you were awake yet." Latios lowered himself to the ground. "Did you enjoy your time here?" "Sure did. How were Amber and Onyx?" Ash asked while climbing aboard. "Oh man, a total nightmare. They wouldn't stop crying for you about one hour after you left. So I altered my form to look just like you. It worked, but they worked me into the ground. How do you handle them with all that energy?!" Ash burst into laughter, "I have no idea! Maybe you're just out of shape!" "Maybe..." Latios grumbled as he took off for Ever Grande City.

Ash stood outside the entrance to the hotel, "Well, I wonder what they're doing now?" Just then, the two children came soaring out the door and into Ash! "DADDY! WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Ash gasped for breath, "Hey...I'm glad to see you too...now get off!" The two babies floated off of him. Amber spoke, "Daddy! Are you and Mommy going to battle today?" Ash nodded, "Yep! Latios is going to help out as well." Onyx cheered, "That's so cool! Can we battle too?" Ash laughed, "Sorry, but only two fighters can take part in this battle, and those places are already taken!" Amber and Onyx looked disappointed, but smiled, "That's OK. Be careful, Uncle Latios." The blue dragon grinned, "Of course I will. Your father will be guiding us, so victory is assured."

About ten minutes before the match started, Ash heard a voice as he waited in the challenger lobby. "So, you ready to show the world your Trainer skills?" Ash looked over in a corner to see Axl leaning against a wall. "Oh. Hey Axl. You here for your match?" Axl snickered a little, "I wish. After watching my flawless victory from yesterday, my opponent chickened out. So you'll be facing my for sure if you when today. OK?" Ash shook his head is disgust, "It's just not cool to back out like that. At least he was worried about his Pokémon instead of his image." Axl grinned, "I thought you would say something like that. By the way, I have something important for you."

Axl walked over to Ash with a pair of jewelry boxes in hand. "These are for you and Latias. I had a hard time finding these, so don't lose them." Ash started to open one out of curiosity, but Axl smacked his hand, "Not yet. You'll know when the right time to open them arrives. Promise me you'll open them only at that time. OK?" Ash shook his hand from the sting, but grinned, "OK. I'll wait." Axl waved as he headed out of the lobby, leaving Ash wondering what was in the boxes.

"Well, I never thought I'd have to face you here." Ash looked towards the door to see a young man with long spiky hair with a black cape. "Lance! It's cool to see you again!" "Likewise. I just wanted to wish you luck for our match. I don't plan on holding back, just so you know." Ash smirked, "I don't wantcha to! Come at me with everything you've got, or this match will be mine!" Lance smiled, "After making it this far, I'm sure you're not bluffing. I'll take your words to heart. May the better Trainer win." With a swish of his cape, Lance headed down the hall towards the other side of the stadium.

"Mr. Ketchum? This way, please." A young woman escorted Ash towards the entrance to the battlefield as the announcer spoke. Meanwhile, all of Ash's friends and family had gathered in a row at the sidelines. Jessie and James had gotten part time jobs as food vendors and had handed out a hot dog to everyone. "Man, I can't wait to see what Ash has planned for this battle!" Max said while snacking on a hot dog. Suddenly, May shrieked, "THERE HE IS!"

Ash marched out the entrance at one side of the stadium while Lance entered at the other end. "EEEK! YOU'RE THE BEST, DADDY!" "GO, DADDY! YOU CAN'T LOSE!" Ash blushed as he heard his children screaming over the roar of the crowd. Just then, the cheering died down as the judge spoke, "This is a 2-on-2 battle. Only two Pokémon are permitted from each Trainer. Whichever side's Pokémon are both unable to continue the battle, the other side will be declared the victor. There is no time limit. Let the match begin!"

"Ash! I'm sure you remember these two!" Lance yelled as he sent out a pair of Poke Balls. When the light receded, there stood Dragonite and the same red Gyarados Lance had captured at the Lake of Rage. Ash called out, "Hey, Gyarados! Are you feeling OK?" Although Lance couldn't understand him, the Gyarados replied, "Yes, I am much more relaxed now, but don't expect us to go easy on you, even if you are the Chosen One!" Ash chuckled, "That's fine. Hey! Get down here!" Ash waved towards the stands as two figures flew down to him.

"AMAZING! The challenger Ash has chosen Latios and Latias! Looks like this is going to be a battle of the dragons!" Latias nuzzled Ash, "Well, looks like I finally get to show the world what I can do!" Ash cuddled her, "Sounds good, but don't go easy on them. Those two are the real deal." Latios spoke, "We won't let you down. Let's do this, sister." "Alright." Lance was obviously stunned that Ash had two extremely rare Dragon type Pokémon in his possession, but that didn't mean he would lose. "Interesting combo, but don't get cocky! Dragonite! Gyarados! Use Dragonbreath!" In perfect unison, the two opponents fired potent blasts of energy at the two siblings! "Don't just float there! MOVE!" As directed, the two Eon Pokémon flew in opposite directions as the blasts hit the ground behind where they used to be. "NOW, SISTER!" Latios and Latias flew together and began to gather energy for a Luster Purge and Mist Ball. However, they soon began to combine the two energies into a single point! "Now, use Hyper Beam!" Dragonite and Gyarados began to gather energy to counter this new threat.

"Oh man, it looks like it's all coming down to one shot!" Brock yelled as the tension in the stadium had reached its breaking point. "NOW, FIRE!" The two dragons finally launched simultaneous Hyper Beams at Latios and Latias! "OK, let them have it!" Latias yelled, "Now brother! EON SOUL!" The combined energies ripped loose, slamming against the two Hyper Beams. At first, it seemed like a stalemate, both blasts remaining in one spot. "I never thought this could be matched!" Latias countered Latios's doubt, "NO! I won't let my husband down! RAAAAHHHHHH!" With her reserved strength, Latias sent the Eon Soul blast plowing through the Hyper Beam, exploding with massive force into the opponents! When the smoke settled, Lance stood aghast at his unconscious Pokémon. "One attack...can it really be possible?"

The crowd went wild as the judge announced Ash as the winner. "Way to go, sister. Are you going to be alright?" Latias wheezed, "I'll be fine. Really." Ash ran up to the siblings and gave them both a big hug. "Thank you... You guys worked so hard for me..." Latias whispered, "Husbands and wives are supposed to support each other. Right?" Ash blushed, "You're right. But still..." Latios butted in, "We wanted you to face your brother in the finals. Don't lose to him."

"Ash." The three of them looked to see Lance standing before them. "You really have come far. You really are worthy of being the Chosen One." Lance bowed to Ash before turning to leave. "Axl is a powerful opponent. Be well prepared."

That night, Ash rested in his room with Latias clutching him at the side in bed. "Are you still thinking about Neo?" "Yeah. I wonder what happened to him. Do you think he really was grave robbed?" Latias frowned, "Just the thought of that makes me sick. I truly hope not. Still, don't go blaming yourself for his death. He wouldn't want you to." Ash sighed, "I know. I feel a little better now. I just need to focus on the match tomorrow." Ash surprised Latias with a little kiss on the nose. "Good night." Latias blushed, "Good night, my love."

The next day at noon, Ash was waiting for his turn to head into the stadium. As he held the two jewelry boxes in his hand, he wondered, "It must have been really expensive, whatever these are. If Axl paid so much for these, he must be a really nice guy after all." Just then, the same young lady from yesterday asked him to follow her. As he approached the entrance to the battlefield, Ash could feel hiccups in his throat.

The announcer spoke, "At last, the finals have arrived! And who would have thought that the finalists would be brothers? Who will win this sibling rivalry, Ash Ketchum or Axl Ketchum?" Ash could see Axl walk in from the other side of the stadium while hearing his children cheering for him again. Suddenly, Axl threw his hand up. "If it is OK, I'd like to propose a special challenge!"

This surprised everyone in the stadium, but what he said next blew them all away. Pointing at Ash, Axl spoke, "No Pokémon! Just you and me, Ash! One on one!" The judge spoke up, "Um, I'm not sure we can do that. This is a Pokémon Trainer tournament, not a Martial Arts contest." Ash intervened, "No, that's cool. If Axl wants to face me like that, I don't mind." There was a bit of an uproar as the crowd showed displeasure with Ash's decision.

Ash yelled out, "But before I go through with it, I need to know something!" Axl asked, "Sure! What's up?" Ash gathered his courage, "Why do you want to face me in an actual fight instead of a Pokémon Battle?" To Ash's surprise, Axl became eerily silent and looked to the ground. "Well? Why?" Axl muttered, "The reason for that is..." Suddenly, Axl looked at Ash and, with a voice he knew all too well, yelled, "Because only one of us can claim the title of Ultimate!" At that instant, Axl was covered in a blinding light! In the stands, Mewtwo whispered, "That voice...it can't be...!" After a moment, the light receded revealing "Axl's" hair had turned ruby red and his eyes sapphire blue! His clothes had changed to a different design and were completely green!

As Ash looked on in utter disbelief, one word escaped his lips. "NEO!"


	22. Clash for the Title

"He...he's alive..." Latias whispered as the entire stadium went silent when Axl Ketchum revealed himself as XD-385. In the guise of a human Trainer, he had infiltrated the Hoenn League championship and had just challenged Ash to one on one combat.

"Well, what do you say? Are you up to it?" However, Ash didn't say anything as tears fell from his face. Suddenly, he made a mad dash at Neo! "I thought you were a goner!" Neo took a step back, "Whoa, hey, wait a second!" Not listening, Ash tackled the bioweapon to the ground. "I...I really missed you..." Neo, on the other hand, was trying to pry Ash off of him. "Ash, come on! Let go! We're on global television here!" The announcer spoke, "Oh my! There really seems to be a lot of brotherly love between these two!" Neo blushed as the audience laughed in amusement.

"Darn it! Get off!" Neo finally shoved Ash off of him. "I'm serious! Do you accept my challenge or not?!" Ash wiped his tears away, "But why? Why do you want to fight me?" Neo chuckled, "I'm curious of what you are capable now. I was not conscious when you destroyed the Nightmare, so I didn't get to see what power you had. I also wish to test my abilities against yours. Not to the death, of course." Ash nodded, "OK." He yelled, "I accept the challenge!" The crowd groaned with disappointment. Mewtwo chuckled, "These fools are in for a big surprise if they think they are ordinary boys."

When Ash walked back to his side of the battlefield, he shouted, "Hey, Brock! Hold onto this for me!" Ash threw his hat like a Frisbee at Brock. "OK! Just don't overdo it!" Brock yelled as he grabbed it. The Judge muttered, "Um...I've never done something like this before...uh, this is a one on one match! The first...um, fighter who is unable to continue will be disqualified. Let the championship final begin!"

"This is it! Time to show the world who we are!" To the shock of the audience, Neo dashed at Ash with an intense burst of speed! As he threw a punch, Ash grabbed his fist. "Neo, before we go any further, can I ask you something?" The audience was puzzled at the odd stance the two fighters were locked in. They weren't even trying to move. "Sure. What's bugging you?" Ash asked, "How did you come back to life? I know you died. I just know you did." Neo smiled, "It was all thanks to my dear mother, Ho-oh. When she sprinkled some of her feathers over the grave, they renewed my life force. She is the same person who restored Raikou, Entei, and Suicune to life, so you shouldn't be so surprised." Ash sighed, "Ho-oh... I'll have to remember to thank her later." Ash let go of Neo's fist. "OK. If you want me to go all out, then let's do it!" In an instant, Ash ascended into his first form, his hair silver and his eyes red! The sudden shockwave blew Neo all the way to the other side of the stadium! Neo brushed himself off and listened. All he could hear was the surging of the golden aura surrounding his master. "It would seem that you've gotten their attention. Now, let's have some fun!"

Neo and Ash lunged at each other and met in the center of the stadium. However, just as they were about to attack, Neo disappeared underground! "Hey, where ya going?!" Ash didn't have to wait long for an answer. At the end of the stadium behind him, what appeared to be a shark fin jutted out of the ground and started heading his way! "Oh man, what did he do this time?" When it was about ten feet away, the creature the fin belonged to ruptured out of the ground! "What the?!" Ash dove out of the way to evade a Sharpedo with gaping jaws! "Crazy sand shark!" Ash jumped up and slammed Neo in the face with a kick to the jaw, knocking out some of his teeth and sending him sailing into the wall. A few seconds later, a white blur zoomed out of the dust cloud with claws extended!

"Man, this one brings back memories!" Neo had transformed into a Zangoose and started swinging away with his claws! "Cut it out! You know you can't hit me like this!" Ash was dodging every swing and eventually landed a potent blow to his face. "See? You...uh-oh..." Neo glowed brightly for a second and Exploded! Neo had created a decoy using Substitute! Ash went flying a good distance and was soon intercepted by the real Neo, who slammed Ash into the wall!

Just when it seemed the fight was over, Ash came flying out of the dust cloud and nailed Neo with a blow to the face, sending him a good distance away and disrupting his Transformation, causing Neo to return to his normal form. As the two fighters caught their breath, the crowd went wild with cheers, demanding more action. Neo panted, "Well, whadaya know? They're actually enjoying this!" Ash replied, "They sure are." In the seats, Amber and Onyx were screaming, "YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME! GO DADDY! GO UNCLE NEO!"

Neo stood up, "Well, now that we're warmed up, how about we turn it up a notch?" Ash nodded, "You go first." Neo looked to the sky and looked deep inside himself. "Feels just like the first time all over again." Suddenly, he let out a yell with emerald green rays of light shooting out of his eyes, mouth and just about all over him. A shockwave shook the stadium as an orb of green light covered him, followed by another shockwave as a translucent red sphere quickly expanded, followed by a blue one, and finally the green orb of light, which then shrank down into Neo's body and disappeared, revealing his true form, his eyes and hair Emerald green as a fierce green aura billowed around him.

"OK Ash! Your turn!" Ash nodded and closed his eyes. (Going all out might be a bad idea. I'll just hold back a little longer.) Suddenly, Ash let out a scream as a pitch black sphere expanded out from him! The sky turned into a sea of blood for an instant until the sphere vanished. Ash stood there with his hair a fiery red while a dark blue and blood red aura surged around him. His eyes had become completely white, except for around the edges, where reddish overtones gave a hellish looking finish to his dark form. "OK, now I'm ready."

To begin the match, Neo raised his foot high and slammed his heal into the ground, sending out a massive shockwave towards Ash! "Fissure is said to always KO the target if it hits! Let's see if it's correct!" In a simple maneuver, Ash levitated himself off the ground to avoid the rapidly expanding Fissure. "Sucker!" Neo came soaring towards Ash, but the Chosen One had a trick up his sleeve. Ash tore a gash in the dimensional field, which Neo flew right into! A few seconds later, Neo came out of another one that opened just behind Ash, only to run right into his fist! A sickening crack was heard as Neo went flying past Ash due to the inertia from his Quick Attack.

"That actually stun..." Neo grumbled as he repaired his jaw. However, he didn't have time to think when he saw Ash flying towards him with his triple tipped sword in hand! Neo produced a Barrier to hold him back, but Ash came plowing right through it and slashed right through Neo so fast, his body seemed to disappear! Ash looked behind him, but was puzzled when he couldn't see Neo anywhere. Suddenly, he felt something the size of a cantaloupe land on his left shoulder. When he turned to face it, a voice spoke, "That was pretty uncalled for, don'tcha think?!"

"Oh, the humanity! The challenger, Ash, has just disemboweled the challenger, Axl...I mean...Neo! Please, turn off the cameras! The kids don't need to see...huh?!" Ash's face went pale as he was staring at the head of his Guardian on his shoulder! "HWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!" The entire stadium was in an uproar as well, with Amber and Onyx completely flipping out at the sight of their bodiless uncle.

"Do I really look that creepy? Hold on a sec." With that, Neo head floated off of Ash's shoulder and began to gravitate the remains of his body toward him, which had been scattered around the edge of the battlefield. A glowing silhouette of a human body began to emerge from the base of his neck. When the light receded, Neo was literally back on his feet.

"Did you forget I can regenerate my entire body from as little as a single nerve cell?" Ash blushed, "Uh...I guess I did. Sorry." Neo waved at the audience, "I'm OK! You can return to your seats! Now then, I think it's time to get a little more serious." Suddenly, a Rock Tomb rose out of the ground in an attempt to capture Ash! However, since Ash was airborne when he jumped to evade it, Neo countered with a Sky Uppercut! It hit Ash a little low in the chest and sent him pretty high up. "Perfect!" Neo caught Ash in a pincer grasp and turned them both upside down and went into a spin. The two of them collided with the ground hard in a Seismic Toss!

"Phew...I know you're down there, so get back up!" Neo yelled after climbing out of the crater. A trail of raised earth quickly approached him, followed by a sword of shadow erupting from it! "Just a sword?!" Realizing that Ash was coming from behind, Neo used Sacred Fire to blow him away. As expected, Ash erupted out of the ground right next to Neo, only to be blown away by the swirling flames. "OWOWOWOWOW! HOT HOT HOOOTTTT! Ash yelped while shaking his hand.

"Hiding underground? Clever, but how about this?!" With a wave of his hand, prickly vines grew out of the ground and went straight for Ash! "What the...?! Frenzy Plant?!" Ash took to the air to escape, but countless more vines began to chase him! All the while, Neo was moving his arms and fingers, much as if he had puppet strings attached to the vines. Ash tried to cut the attack down to size with his sword, but more and more just kept coming! Fortunately for him, the vines stopped abruptly when they began to become thick enough to make a bit of a forest.

"Why'd they stop?" Onyx asked. Latios answered, "Because if they had kept growing, we wouldn't be able to see the battle anymore." Ash took a moment to catch his breath, but had to keep moving when a wave of blue energy came smashing through some vines from below! Neo Teleported up to Ash, "How'd you like that one? It's called Aura Sphere. And this..." Neo began to gather energy into a space in between his two palms. Ash wasn't about to just stand by and let himself get blasted and charged Neo, skewering him with his sword! However, he disappeared in a puff of smoke! "A Substitute?!" Neo came up behind Ash and said, "Yup! And this...is Focus Blast!"

Neo unleashed the energy he had gathered and blasted Ash at point blank, sending him through the forest of vines towards the ground in a beam of red energy! As he hit the ground, Ash was consumed in a huge blast, followed by a dust cloud. Neo made the vines retract into the ground to see what happened. "Oh my! It looks like Ash might be down for the count! Is this match over?!"

"Mommy, is Daddy OK?" Amber looked at Latias as if she was going to cry. Onyx also showed a face that feared the worst. Latias smiled, "There's nothing to worry about. Your father and uncle may be fighting hard, but they would never want to hurt each other. They'll both be fine when this is over." The two infants breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Neo was walking towards the spot where Ash had landed. The dust cloud was still obscuring everything in it. "Hey, Ash! You're not done yet, are you?!" A moment of silence went by before Neo's grin started to fade. "Ash, I know you're OK! That attack wasn't a lethal one!" There was still no answer. "Ash, joke's over! If you're alive, say something!"

Just then, as if to answer Neo's pleas, a yell came forth from the dust cloud! However, it didn't stop and rays of golden light began to shine through it! Soon, the dust was blown away to reveal a fierce golden aura surrounding a pitch black flame! As Neo and most of the world watched, a certain foreboding fell upon the stadium. (This sensation...he's really gonna...!) Soon, strange distortions in the dimensional field began to flow across the sky. Intense force was also rippling the ground, making it difficult for Neo to stand his ground. Ash's yell was beginning to echo in everyone's ears as two golden runic gates appeared and began to spin around the black flame. As Neo thought he was going to go mad from the screaming, a shockwave shook the stadium as a black sphere expanded, engulfing the whole city, but quickly withdrew into the black flame again as the yell died away. As Neo composed himself, there was an audible gasp from the audience. When he looked ahead, he stared in awe. "So...this is what it's like to stand in its presence..."

Ash stood where he was as red and black flames enshrouded him, the two runic gates encircling his body. His hair had become longer and was slightly bent back as it stood straight up, golden streaks going through his now white hair. His clothing had become armor and his eyes were a ghostly white. When he spoke however, his voice was unchanged, unlike the first time he ascended to that form, where it was extremely distorted. "You should be proud of yourself, Neo. This is only the second time I've ever had to go this far."

As Neo stared in awe, his dumbfounded look became one of extreme joy! "I...this is such an honor! I really have the privilege of facing you at full strength?!" Ash chuckled, "Well, sure! Now, you ready? I'm not gonna hold back this time!" "That's fine by me! Let's do it!" Neo shouted as he dashed towards Ash. Ash flew towards Neo without even touching the ground. When Neo got within range, he threw a Shadow Punch, knowing he wouldn't miss. However, Ash ducked it with ease! "Wha...I missed?!" Ash then struck Neo from below, knocking him higher and followed up with a flurry of blows to his gut! Neo was not enjoying this at all as he was spitting out saliva with each bone crushing blow. In an effort to escape, he summoned the rubble from earlier in the fight above them and sent them crashing down in a Rock Slide!

As the rubble piled onto them, Ash sent Neo soaring out of the pile with a kick to the back! Neo was yelling as he was soaring skyward. "Ahhh...that one kinda hurt...Huh?!" Neo looked up to see Ash slug him in the face with a punch backed up with dark forces! Neo slammed into the ground hard. "Jeez! I never knew he packed such a mean right hook!" Suddenly, Neo looked up and saw Ash coming down at him with two orbs of energy in hand. One was pure light energy while the other was pure dark energy. Ash held them out in front of him and plowed into Neo, creating a geyser of the two forces! Neo screamed in agony as his body was smashed. A few seconds later, Ash leaped out of the crater and stood his ground.

After a moment, Neo started to climb out of the crater, looking like he had seen better days. "Good grief...I don't think I've ever been this sore after taking a blow like that...but I'm not done yet!" As Neo managed to get to his feet, the world wobbled a little. "Dang, I'm more mentally worn out than psychically..." When he said that, a dark presence spoke in his mind. "Too exhausted to resist...you are now mine." Neo felt a sudden chill overcome him. "What the...?! Who are you?!"

Ash had relaxed as he watched Neo making some weird movements while holding his head. "Uh...Neo? What's wrong?" At that moment, Neo scratched his head, "Heh, sorry about that. Just a headache. I'm fine now." Ash noticed a particularly sneaky look in his eyes. "Well, now that I've caught my second breath, let's get back in the game!" Neo shouted as he ran towards Ash with Leaf Blades extended.

Ash summoned his sword and locked blades with Neo. "I'm not going easy on you at all this time, brother!" At that, Neo threw his leg up and nailed Ash in the balls! Full power or not, a sick look came over Ash as he reeled from that illegal attack. "Let your guard down!" Neo took full advantage of Ash's pain and struck with a Poison Tail, which came out from the base of his spine! The attack slashed Ash's unprotected arm, but the restorative effects of the light energy negated the poison.

Ash jumped back as he clutched his arm. (What's the deal with him?! Neo would never attack me like that! Wha...?) Ash saw Neo gathering heat, cold, and lightning energy in one spot. "Let's see ya stop this one!" Ash's face went pale, "NO! YOU'RE AIMING FOR THE AUDIENCE!" Neo didn't listen and unleashed the Big Bang attack towards the stands! By now, everyone in the stadium had gone into a panic and was trying to evacuate. Mewtwo looked on in utter disgust and horror, "That fool! What is he planning?!"

Ash wasn't about to let anyone die. As the blast headed towards the audience, he opened a dimensional rift, which swallowed the Big Bang attack! Next, he opened another portal, which directed the beam into the sky, which eventually exploded in a rainbow of three colors! Ash breathed a sigh of relief and yelled, "Darn it, Neo! What's wrong with you?!" However, Ash noticed that Neo had disappeared! Suddenly, Amber screamed, "DADDY! BEHIND YOU!" Ash looked behind him to see Neo pointing two fingers on one hand at his forehead, a sparking bundle of solar energy at their tips! "Too late!" Neo blasted Ash point blank with a deadly Solarbeam! Fortunately, Ash was quick enough to dodge to worst of it, but the blast still took a solid chuck out of his right shoulder as it drilled right through his armor with laser like force.

Ash crashed into the ground writhing in pain as he clutched the gash where part of his shoulder used to be. He reverted to his normal state out of pain and exhaustion. Latias was choking back tears as she saw her future husband fighting for his life. "Why? Why is Neo doing this?" Mewtwo grumbled, "I wish I knew. That attack just now contained fatal force." Bayleef screamed, "But why?! Neo said this wasn't a fight to the death!" They didn't have time to ponder this as Neo was already up in Ash's face with a Hyper Beam forming in his hands. "Don't bother! There's no way you can dodge this one in the condition you're in!" Ash couldn't even speak as tears flowed down his face. (Neo...you're my best friend...but you're really trying to kill me...why...?) As Neo was about to attack, he gloated, "I win."

Suddenly, Amber and Onyx screamed, "UNCLE NEO, DON'T!" This apparently snapped Neo back to his senses as all maliciousness left his eyes and were replaced with fear. "No!" With no way to disperse the energy for it, Neo threw his arm up and fired the Hyper Beam into the sky until it disappeared from sight. While clutching his head, Neo grabbed Ash's mangled shoulder and applied Recover, regenerating any lost cells. Once that was over, Neo staggered back, "No...I won't kill my..." Neo suddenly yelled out, "You are mine now, so you will do as I command!" Neo then contradicted himself, "Absolutely not! I will not kill my brother!" Once again, Neo yelled, "Stupid fool! This is not a choice for you! Kill him NOW!" Ash and everyone else who was brave enough to stay was baffled by Neo's apparent display of a split personality.

Suddenly, Neo roared, "YOU PARASITE! GET OUTTA MY BODY!" With that, Neo hunched over and let out a yell of strain as the emerald green aura around him surged! Strong winds buffeted everyone around as sinister dark purple mist billowed from Neo's pores! After a moment, the mist stopped pouring out of him and Neo dropped on one knee while holding himself up with an arm.

Ash ran over to Neo and yelled, "Why, Neo?! Why were you trying to kill me?!" Neo wheezed and said, "Sorry, but it wasn't me." "Then who?!" Neo looked up and replied, "I think we're about to find out."

The dark mist that had come out of Neo drifted to the ground and seemed to be taking on a solid shape. Boots appeared, followed by gloves, pants, and a shirt. Soon, a copy of Neo stood before them. However, it had unholy purple skin, and its hair and clothing was an even darker, almost black, shade of purple. But when it opened the eyes, they were black instead of white and the pupils were a bloody red.

Neo yelled, "Just what are you?! What were you doing inside me?!" The figure spoke in a dark and mocking voice, "I'm hurt. Has it really been so long that you've forgotten me?" Ash and Neo, as well as their friends and family in the spectator seats, felt a sudden chill as they heard him. Ash stuttered, "No...it can't be you! I didn't just kill you! I destroyed you! You can't be alive! You can't...!"

The dark copy of Neo smirked, "So you do remember me after all. I'm touched. Truly, I am. That's right. You nailed it on the head. Now, let this be the day that marks the death...OF THE CHOSEN ONE!"

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**Chapter End Notes: **As Lugia trembled at the revealing of the dark presence, he muttered, "So...it has returned...

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**There is death in the next chapter but you wont ever guess who it is?!**


	23. Never Ending Nightmare

**Before you read this you should know that if you don't want to cry then don't read this chapter.**

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It was a dark day as Ash and Neo stared at the monstrosity that had formed from the dark mist that had been forced out of Neo. It bore a striking resemblance to Neo, except for the coloration, but it had a dark presence which they knew too well. More than anyone, Ash was baffled and horrified that this demon still existed.

"This doesn't make sense! I know I got rid of you!" The dark figured chuckled at Ash's disbelief, "I see that you remember me very well. Perhaps I should tell you just how I manage to still exist, even after you thoroughly erased me, body and soul?" Neo growled, "I don't see the point, but why not?" The dark Neo chuckled, "Good, good! I was going to tell you anyway, as a final gift before you die."

In the audience seats, Mewtwo whispered to the group, "Latios, Latias, Bayleef, we will have to stop him. The rest of you evacuate now. And please keep the newborns safe." Brock, May, Max, and Pikachu, along with Jessie, James and Meowth, quickly shuffled towards the nearest exit. As Amber and Onyx were being carried in May's arms, they asked her, "Will Daddy and Mommy be OK?" May glanced down at them and grinned, "I know things seem bad, but they'll pull through."

The dark copy sneered, "Yes, I'm sure you deduced right away what I am. I am the Nightmare you destroyed. And I must admit, I truly thought I was done for when you destroyed me in that dark dimension. However, the Shadow energy that composes my body is unique, as a tiny amount of my consciousness exists in every last cell of it. The energy that I killed you with, XD-385, was no exception. However, without some form of sustenance to energize it, my Shadow energy will just linger. Fortunately for me, Ho-oh bestowed upon you her life restoring ash from her feathers, restoring your life, as well as my own. But with me original body gone, I needed a host in order to interact with the world, and I was going to use your body to complete my goals." Neo was already beginning to seethe disgust as he had already sent out a telepathic plea for aid to all Pokémon across the planet, just as he did before.

"However, in the possible occasion that you would manage to force me out of your body, I molded myself down to every last detail and created a new body that is you, only corrupted with Shadow energy. You see, XD-385, I should be thanking you. By allowing me out of your body, something I could not accomplish on my own, you allowed me to become the Ultimate Shadow Pokémon!" By this time, Mewtwo, Latias, Bayleef, and Latios had joined the two of them on the battlefield, but Neo threw back his arm. "Stay out of this one. He's mine."

Ash objected, "Are you serious?! You couldn't kill him last time! What makes you think you can take him this time?!" Neo looked back at his future brother-in-law and smiled while giving him thumbs up. "The only reason he got me last time was because he got lucky and I let my guard down. Besides, no one knows my body as well as I do. This time, I will destroy him. Down to every last cell."

The Nightmare laughed, "HAHAHA! And just how do you plan on doing that?!" Neo smirked, "LIKE THIS!" In a flash, he smashed right through the Nightmare's body with a Mega Punch, splattering his entire upper body to pieces! "As I said, no one knows...NO WAY!" The pieces of the Nightmare became a dark mist and began to fuse with the lower body. A billowing blob began to emerge from the waist and take on a solid shape. Soon, the Nightmare stood there completely unharmed! "I told you, didn't I? There is no end to this Nightmare!"

As the Nightmare laughed, he said, "Now, let me show you what the Ultimate Shadow Pokémon is capable of!" Sudden, he held out his hand at Neo and shouted, "Shadow Rave!" At that instant, large spikes came tearing out of the ground at Neo! They were a sinister purple, a sign that they were pure Shadow energy. As Neo flew out of range, he grumbled, "Great. Just great. He has access to all Shadow type attacks that have ever existed." The Nightmare shouted, "You can't get away! Shadow Storm!" A massive tornado of swirling Shadow energy formed from the ground and began to approach Neo!

"Darn it! Try this!" Neo went into a Rapid Spin and flew right into the Shadow Storm! "Fool. What do you think you can do as you're torn to shreds?!" However, the tornado began to slow down until it couldn't sustain itself anymore. As the Shadow Storm dissipated, a green spinning blur could be seen, until it touched the ground. "I was thinking, If Rapid Spin could negate a Fire Spin, why not a Shadow type version?" Latios shouted, "YES! That's my brother! I know you have what it takes to send this monster to his grave!"

As the Nightmare stared at the unharmed bioweapon, he asked, "Why?" Everyone stood puzzled, but he asked again, "Why are you so determined to destroy me when our goals are the same? You and I were both created to bring mankind to submission." Bayleef gasped, (Is he trying to make Neo side with him?!) However, Neo replied, "You're right about one thing. I was, like you, created as a weapon to decimate mankind until no one dared to stand against my masters. When they spoke their intentions to use me as nothing more than an instrument of death, my views of humans were extremely negative. I wanted nothing to do with them. I was...XD-385..."

A moment passed while the Nightmare sneered, but Neo's gaze became filled with dedication, "However, when I returned to this world, I couldn't have been luckier as I came across the Chosen One himself. He accepted me for what I am, despite my horrible potential. I learned that not all humans are selfish." Ash was holding back tears as he heard his closest friend speak of his encounter with him. "That is why...that is why I chose to live to defend him. He has become a brother to me, and I have become an uncle to his children. My life as XD-385 is nothing more than a memory now." He then made a fist and held it up, "XD-385 is a name I have cast aside! I am the Ultimate Bioweapon! I am the Guardian of the Chosen One! I am Neo Ketchum!" The Nightmare stood aghast at Neo's display of defiance. "And you, well, you're dead."

With that, Neo charged him with his feet and fists covered in flames! "Don't joke around with me, XD-385!" He fired a volley of arcing Shadow Waves, but Neo ducked and jumped all of them. Soon, he was right up in the Nightmare's face! "I'll make you burn in Hell!" He then slugged him across the face with a Fire Punch and followed up with a Blaze Kick! Over and over, he pounded away as his friends and family cheered him on.

"You say you can't be destroyed as long as at least one nerve cell exists, but what if I burned you down to nothing but ashes, huh?!" Neo slammed the Nightmare away and sent a Heat Wave at him, followed by a burning Flame Wheel! The already dark purple skin of the Nightmare was turning even darker as he was being scorched by Neo's intense Fire type attacks. With three sweeping motions of his arm, Neo crafted the kanji for 'Fire' and launched it at the Nightmare in a Fire Blast!

"You honestly think I'll just let you hit me?!" The Nightmare flew upwards to evade the flames, but was intercepted when Neo Teleported up to him and blasted him pointblank with Blast Burn! However, the slight recoil left Neo open for just an instant. During that instant, the Nightmare Teleported behind Neo and laughed, "Now, you will die just like before!" Everyone below looked on in horror as Neo was about to be slaughtered just like before! "Neo, NOOOO!"

"Good bye!" The Nightmare unleashed the same deadly attack that claimed Neo's life several days before! However, as the blast dissipated, no one noticed his body fall. "Hmmm? Where'd he go?" Latias asked. The Nightmare was equally puzzled as he saw nothing remain of the bioweapon. Suddenly, he gagged as something ripped through his chest from behind! "You really should get it through your head that I never fall for the same trick twice." Suddenly, Neo yanked his arm out of the hole, but healed it in the process! The Nightmare just floated there puzzled, "Why did you heal me?" Neo held up a hand and created an orange sphere of volatile energy in the palm.

"Ya know what this is?" The Nightmare searched his memory for knowledge of an attack like this, but found nothing on it. "It just so happens to be Selfdestruct. I just packed the energy for the blast into this handy compact sphere. Get the picture?" Just then, the Nightmare realized what Neo had done when he sealed the wound! With a whimsical smirk, Neo waved, "Bye Bye." Suddenly, the Nightmare exploded in a flash of orange! His pieces fell to earth in smoking piles.

Neo dropped to the ground and dashed at the reforming chunks of the Nightmare with a Dynamic Punch ready. "I won't let you ruin this world!" As Neo leapt at his foe, he saw something shimmer to his left. "Huh? SHOOT!" Neo quickly leaned back as something flew by his face. He jumped back as he had his hand covering his left eye. "Crud...that hurt..." Mewtwo gasped as he saw blood oozing through Neo's gloves. "To make him bleed...what...?" The Nightmare stood up with a long golden runic sword in his right hand, the same one he wielded when he fought against them before.

"I see that you still have a deadly weakness to Shadow energy, despite my temporary union with you, eh XD-385?" Neo quivered with pain, "He's right. I'm having a hard time regenerating my eye. The Shadow energy is interfering with the restoration." The Nightmare roared, "Now die!" He lunged at Neo with sword in hand, but Neo stopped him with a Leaf Blade, catching the blade before it could hit him!

"I've had enough of you!" Neo yelled as he nailed the Nightmare with a Low Kick to the groin. Just like with Ash, this one still hurt! The Nightmare stood there for a moment, a sick look over his face, as he gagged. Neo then scored a Jump Kick to his chin and sent him to the other end of the stadium!

By this time, Neo had regenerated his left eye. "So long! Aeroblast!" Neo fired a heavily concentrated blast of wind from his mouth at the Nightmare, but he had recovered by now and yelled, "Shadow Blast!" He fired a Shadow energy packed Aeroblast from his mouth! The two blasts collided at the center of the field and reached a stalemate as they pushed against each other, creating hurricane force winds which buffeted the action junkies that had braved the danger to remain seated. Eventually, the blasts exploded with great force, canceling them out.

"Darn it. I guess I'll just have to use this." Neo began to gather heat, cold, and lightning energy together in front of him, but gulped when he saw the Nightmare making the same pose. "Shadow Fire, Shadow Chill, and Shadow Bolt? Oh man, now what?!" The Nightmare laughed, "If you think the Big Bang attack is the ultimate in destructive force, think again!" The dark blue, red and yellow energy began to create a black void. "It's now or never! BIG BANG ATTACK!"

Neo unleashed his trump card at the Nightmare, hoping that he had gathered enough power for it. However, the Nightmare cackled, "Now you shall see the power of the Ultimate Evil! Shadow Nova!" A dark, almost black, purple wave of Shadow energy was fired and collided with the Big Bang attack! The power was beyond anything Neo had ever encountered and even began to push the wave back towards him! "NO! If the Big Bang attack can't stop this, we're all done for!"

As the world watched through the camera of a lone TV crew who had decided to stick it out, Neo could feel power building up inside him. "Finally. It took you guys long enough!" The Pokémon of the world had responded to his plea and shared their elemental power with him. "This is goodbye, Nightmare! DIE!" Neo then dumped every last ounce of his borrowed power into the Big Bang attack, and in an instant, sent it plowing right through the apocalyptic Shadow Nova! Before he even knew what was happening, the Nightmare was engulfed by the Big Bang attack! Neo angled the blast down slightly, which made it plow into the ground and send all the excess energy into the sky with a deafening boom of three colors! Once the blast had dissipated, there was a moment of silence as the world stared at their TV screens in awe and amazement.

"Whoa... Did I really...destroy him?!" Neo gazed at his hands as he could not believe that he had really triumphed over the monster his master was supposed to have destroyed. "Neo!" Neo turned around to see Ash with a big smile on his face. "That was so cool! You really are the Ultimate Bioweapon!" Mewtwo and Latios had relieved smiles on their faces, as if they had just seen him after falling of a cliff. Bayleef and Latias were equally relieved. Latias even looked like she was going to cry.

Neo began to laugh uncontrollably at the fact that he had completed his master's destiny for him! "HAHAHAAA! This is too much! I didn't think I could really do the Chosen One's job for him like this! WOOOHAHAHAAA! Oh man...Ha...my gut hurts..." Neo groaned as he held his stomach. His friends laughed at his self induced bellyache.

Ash yelled, "Hey Neo! The championship final isn't over yet! Can we get back to the match?" Neo waved at him, "Sure, just as soon as I stop laughing and my stomach stops hurting...ow..." Just then, Neo thought he detected something in the smoldering crater where the Big Bang attack had struck. Just then, someone yelled, "DON'T PUSH YOUR LUCK!"

Suddenly, a Shadow Blast shot out of the dust cloud, but something was off. It was narrow and thin. In exchange for accuracy, it had been concentrated into a laser like shot and it was moving at almost light speed! Neo was only just barely able to clumsily dodge the shot by jumping to the side, but he heard something choke a second later. He heard the voice speak again, "Hmph. I missed."

Fearing the worst, Neo turned around to see what the sound had come from. When he saw it, he froze. With blood spilling from the triangle shaped mark, Latias fell to the ground in a puddle of her own blood. "SISTER!" Latios flew over to her to try to help her. He shuddered at the sight of the wound. Latias had been right behind Neo when the Shadow Blast was fired at him, only to take the piercing blow right through her chest. Mewtwo, Bayleef, and Neo ran over to her as well. However, Ash was rooted in place as he saw his fiancé on the verge of death, struck down by the monster he should have destroyed when he first had the chance.

Neo pleaded, "Sister...no...please don't die! I can heal you...just hold on..." Weakly, Latias opened her eyes and looked around. "Yes. Hang on, Sister. Be strong. We'll..." Latios stopped when Latias looked over to Ash, who was still frozen in place. "My love...you...must..." Her head fell an inch to the ground, and she closed her eyes forever.

"No...you can't die yet! NO!" Neo screamed as he used Recover on the hole in her chest, but the Shadow energy that still lingered was impeding the effects. Latios and Mewtwo joined in, but Ash already knew what her fate was. As his mind reeled in shock, he clutched his head in guilt.

By failing to destroy the Nightmare when he first had the chance, Ash lost Neo, he lost his Guardian, and now, he had lost his one true love. "NOOOOOOOOO!"

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**Chapter End Notes: **I'm so gonna get hate mail for this...O_o

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**I wanted to cry as I posted this chapter. **

**On a side note, wow in one day we have 2 chapters that screw Ash over, poor poor Ash.**


	24. Atonement

Storm clouds had begun to form all around the world as the duel to decide the fate of the Earth took an unexpected turn. The Nightmare, having become the Ultimate Shadow Pokémon, had made a deadly surprise attack and struck down Latias.

At the Ketchum household, Delia Ketchum, along with Professor Oak and Mimey and all of Ash's Pokémon, witnessed the barbaric slaying on global television. "This is truly tragic. I'm sorry to say that it would seem that this battle has claimed its first casualty. The Trainer in particular seems to be taking it especially hard." Delia burst into tears that she had lost her future daughter-in-law even before her son had gotten married. Professor Oak attempted to comfort her, but to little avail.

In Alto Mare, Bianca screamed, "NO! Latias, don't die!" Her grandpa restrained her from shaking the TV, "Bianca, there's nothing you can do, so don't take it out on the television." Lorenzo was also in tears. Bianca stared at the screen again, but dropped to her knees, "Why...why did it have to be her...?"

At Ever Grande City, Amber and Onyx had a terrible foreboding as the sky turned cloudy. "Mommy..." Max looked up, "What's wrong?" Amber then screamed, "Mommy's hurt! We've gotta help her!" Brock tried his best to hold on to the children, but he let go with a yelp when Onyx bit his hand. "No! Your Dad said to stay with us! Get back here!" Onyx shouted, "Sorry, but we don't want to lose Mommy!" Despite the pleas of their friends, Amber and Onyx flew off in search of the stadium.

"No...you can't die...Mewtwo! Latios! I need your help! If we don't combine strength, we're gonna lose her!" Neo's brothers did as they were told and rested their hands on the wound in Latias's chest. In unison, they used Recover, trying to overcome the toxic Shadow energy that still lingered. "We won't let you die. I swear it."

The Nightmare, still a tad sore from the supercharged Big Bang attack, staggered out of the dust cloud. "Oh, what's wrong, Chosen One? Don't be all THAT upset. You'll be joining her before long!" The Nightmare gloated over his semi accidental murder of Latias. However, Ash, who still had not moved, could feel his mind becoming increasingly unstable.

"So Ash, where do you think we should have the wedding?" Latias asked as the two of them glided through the canals of Alto Mare in a classic gondola. Ash smiled, "Well, I was thinking of having it here." "OK, but where exactly?" Ash gave her a funny look, as if he was surprised that she had not guessed yet. "Where else? The first place you showed me your true form." Latias was taken aback at the thought of holding their wedding in a place that so very few humans knew about, but Ash comforted her, "I know what you're thinking, and I've got it all figured out."

Latias was surprised that Ash would plan so far ahead when he was a somewhat impulsive boy. "We'll make all our guests vow to never reveal the location of the garden to ANYONE. If they do, I'll sic Neo on 'em!" Latias giggled, knowing that Neo would never refuse an order from Ash. "How many guests will come?" Ash thought for a minute, "I dunno. Enough, I guess."

Latias sighed as she felt the warm rays of the sun radiate over them, almost like a testament of this golden moment. "Maybe we could spend the honeymoon somewhere special. Uh...Latias?" Ash noticed that Latias was just staring off into space. "And what...about children?" Ash blushed at that remark, being only twelve years old, as he was far too young by human standards to have children.

"Latias...what...?" She gazed into his eyes lovingly while a deep blush on her face. "I've never told anyone this, but every night after you left, I would masturbate while imagining that it was you and not a simple bump on a tree branch. I could imagine you filling me with your seed as you impregnated me. I've always wanted just that. To bear your children." She then ran her claws over her belly. "The very thought...of me being impregnated by you...fills me with such joy. Feeling your children growing within me as my belly swells with life...it's so beautiful...I can't even begin to describe it..." Latias had small tears flowing down her face as she imagined being pregnant with her lover's children.

Ash surprised Latias by joining lips with her. Short as it was, it was enough to wreck her train of thought. When they broke the kiss, Ash whispered, "We'll have as many kids as you want. I don't think I'm ready to be a dad just yet, but I will someday. I promise. I promise to be a great dad, and the best husband I can be to you." Latias closed her eyes and embraced the boy she had sworn to marry someday. Ash whispered, "That's a promise..."

As he played that promise back in his head over and over, Ash felt tears falling from his face. "But I failed to keep it...I promised to be the best husband I could be to you...and I betrayed you..." Ash dropped to his knees as he gripped his head. The memories of Latias and his devotion to her, as well as his promise to wed her, began to crack in his mind.

"I could have destroyed the Nightmare for good, but I choked. Now you're gone...I killed..." Ash could feel his mind on the verge of insanity. "I'm no Chosen One...I'm no hero...I'm a fraud! I'm a failure!" Ash grieved and screamed in turmoil, but then, he quietly whispered, "I shouldn't even be alive..."

At that moment, Ash's consciousness completely shattered. All his dreams, his hopes, his vows. They were all broken by his failure. As the mind of the Chosen One crumbled, the three orbs in his mind appeared once more. The white orb in the middle and the golden orb began to dim as the blood red orb began to pulse with malevolence. Soon, it totally eclipsed them both. At that instant, the mind of Ash Ketchum was replaced with a vile lust for vengeance and hatred of himself. Only one thing mattered to him now. The total obliteration of the Nightmare, and himself.

The Nightmare laughed, "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well? Perhaps I should end this now?" However, when Ash slowly turned to face him, the Nightmare froze at the sight of bloodlust and malice in Ash's eyes that exceeded even his own! Neo then felt an unholy power fill the area and turned his head to see a black aura beginning to engulf Ash! His hair was becoming a fiery hue and his eyes became blank with reddish overtones near the edges. "What's going on? His aura should be dark blue and blood red." Suddenly, Ash sprinted at the Nightmare, determined to end it all!

"Ash, no! You know you can't kill him in that state!" Ash paid no attention whatsoever as he was hellbent on erasing the demon who had murdered his lover. "You really should listen to the wisdom of the Ultimate Bioweapon. I won't need Shadow type attacks to kill you. It's time we end this!" The Nightmare waved his arm to erect pillars of rock in an attempt to catch Ash in a Rock Tomb, but Ash wasn't going to allow anything to get in his way. Whatever he couldn't dodge, he plowed right through.

Bayleef was sick with worry that Ash would be killed like he almost was the last time. "Why doesn't he ascend into his ultimate state?! Can he not focus hard enough?!" Mewtwo replied, "I think it's because he CAN'T reach it! His strongest state is a perfect balance of light and darkness. Right now, his negative emotions are so fierce; most of the light in him is being suppressed. The light and darkness within him is out of balance! He can't possibly reach his strongest form!"

The Nightmare finally had enough of trying to catch Ash with rocks and summoned his sword. "If I can't crush you, I'll just cut you to pieces!" With a swing of his sword, he aimed for Ash's face, but Ash delivered a quick kick to the side of the blade, sending it out of his hands! Ash then seemed to strike him with a punch, but bits and pieces of the Nightmare's face fell off!

"Wha...what was that?" The Nightmare looked at Ash's hands and saw dark energy had formed at the tips, creating what seemed to be claws on his fingertips! "Hmph. So the hero has become a beast, has he? Then let the hunt begin!" The Nightmare then blasted Ash point blank with a Psycho Boost! The deadly psychic forces left Ash stunned for a moment, during which the Nightmare blew him away with a Razor Wind! Ash steadily climbed to his feet, cuts and scratches covering his body and his clothes in tatters.

With a roar of fury, Ash charged again. "Don't you have anything to say? So be it." With Extremespeed, the Nightmare caught up to Ash in a flash and ran his hand right into his belly! A shockwave shook him to the core as he felt his body go a little numb. "That was Force Palm. Feeling a little stiff? Let me fix that!" The Nightmare then slammed both palms into the sides of Ash's head with Smellingsalt! Ash screamed in pain as he collapsed to his knees as the numbness left him.

As Ash looked up at the Nightmare with nothing more than hatred in his empty eyes, the demon smirked. "Still haven't had enough?" With a Blaze Kick, Ash was sent to the far side of the stadium, but as soon as he landed, he dashed at the Nightmare again! "Not this time!" The Nightmare fired another laser like Shadow Blast at Ash's head, but he evaded it without even stopping! Before the Nightmare could react, Ash sent his darkness infused fist into his face!

A moment passed as the world waited to see what would happen next as Ash left his fist implanted in the Nightmare's face. However, he started to chuckle. "You fool. If you think you can triumph over me with just brute force and speed, you're only lying to yourself." Ash just then noticed that it felt as if he had just struck a block of iron! Just before impact, the Nightmare had hardened his skin with Iron Defense! Out of frustration, Ash began to pummel him with a barrage of punches. However, it sounded like he was hammering away at a metal wall.

"I've had enough of this. I'm also a little hungry." Suddenly, the Nightmare nudged over and sank his teeth into Ash's neck! Bayleef screamed as Ash froze with pain while the Nightmare chuckled. After a moment, the Nightmare pulled his jaws out of Ash's neck, a strange purple liquid dripping from his fangs, which seemed to vanish. After licking his lips, the Nightmare asked, "So, did my little Poison Fang treatment loosen you up?" At that moment, Ash began to convulse as the deadly toxins of the Poison Fang attack took effect. "Yes. The venom delivered with Poison Fang is a step above other Poison type attacks. Isn't it a lovely gift?" Ash gasped for breath as the toxins spread to his lungs. At that moment, the sky began to pour rain, as if the Earth itself could feel Ash's pain.

"Even beasts know when to give up. Perhaps it's time we end this." With that, the Nightmare summoned vines from under his wrists and grabbed Ash by the ankles with Vine Whip! He then began slamming him all over the stadium, into the ground and the walls! After that, he tossed Ash skyward. However, the poison was at full effect, leaving Ash too weak to do anything. "I'LL BREAK YOU!" The Nightmare pointed directly at Ash as rain fell from the storm clouds. In a flash, a deadly Thunder strike hit Ash dead on! He screamed as he was electrocuted by the potent Electric attack.

"Looks like he's well done. Now for the finish." Ash was falling right towards the Nightmare and was too weak to stop his fall. The Nightmare then pointed his right arm straight up and seemed to form a drill with it. As Bayleef screamed for Ash to pull himself together, there was a sickening sound as Ash was impaled on the Nightmare's Horn Drill. This proved to be too much for both Bayleef and Ash's mother. They promptly fainted at the sight of the child. Neo, Latios and Mewtwo tried to ignore the carnage, focusing on healing Latias, if she was even still alive.

The Nightmare threw Ash off his arm, but Ash surprised everyone by breaking his fall. "I was so sure I severed your spine." Despite the poison still flowing through his veins and the hole in his abdomen, Ash made a break for the Nightmare with a sword of darkness in hand. With a roar, he swung at his head, but missed due to his blurred vision from the poison. By this time, the Nightmare was completely fed up with Ash's resistance.

"Let's see if you can get back up after 50 Twinneedle strikes!" Using just the index and middle fingers on each hand, the Nightmare began landing precision strikes to many of Ash's internal organs. The tips were also delivering small amounts of poison with each poke, adding to the already fatal amount flowing through Ash's body. The strikes were being unleashed too quickly for Ash to break away, and after unleashing 50 Twinneedle strikes, 100 in all, the Nightmare sent Ash flying backwards with a Poison Jab to the face! After rolling head over heels, Ash came to a stop. This time, he was having great difficulty getting up.

"Heh. You must enjoy pain. Tell me, Chosen One. Why do you insist on fighting me when you obviously can't kill me?" It took a moment, but Ash finally got to his feet, the rain soaking the ground with his blood. In a demonic tone, he replied, "You...you took everything away from me...Kill you? Forget it...I'm gonna...send you to Hell..." Ash then looked up at the Nightmare, but his eyes were now not much more than brightly shining red flames! "All I want now...is to see you DIE!"

Ash suddenly gripped his head in pain, and suddenly, he looked at the sky and screamed, a wave of black energy sweeping over the area as a pillar of darkness shot up to the sky from him! To the horror of the people of the world, the pillar of darkness began to expand and spread across the sky as it eclipsed the entire planet! Soon, the Earth looked like a black orb in the void of space. On the surface, nothing could be seen as even artificial light sources couldn't be seen.

The Nightmare looked around in confusion as he couldn't even see his hands in front of his face. "What kind of diversion is this?! Where are you, Chosen One?!" Suddenly, he heard a sound directly ahead of him. "Hmmmm? Who's there?" After focusing his vision, the Nightmare staggered back at what he could only barely make out. Just ahead of him was what seemed to be some sort of beast from the depths of Hell. Its eyes glowed as red lights and it was down on all fours. Its body blended in with the darkness perfectly as it was completely black. The only thing that could really be seen was the dark fog billowing off its body. Even then it was extremely difficult to see.

"No...you can't possibly be..." The demon roared in a way that sent chills down the spines of everyone who heard it, even the Nightmare. Suddenly, it was gone. However, it made its presence known again when it cleaved a solid chunk right out of the Nightmare's chest! While it could be seen when stationary, this monster was impossible to see when moving. What was more, the Nightmare yelled in agony as something felt like it was burning his internal organs! With the Nightmare off balance, the demon made its move. A dimensional portal opened above and the demon soared up into it with the Nightmare's arm in its jaws.

"No...what is this?!" The Nightmare was able to see again, but he didn't like what he saw. The world around him was constantly shifting matter and antimatter. There was no form. Only never ending destruction. With a swing of its head, the demon threw the Nightmare down into the swirling antimatter. Try as he might, the Nightmare couldn't levitate with psychic power. As he looked up at the black form of the demon, he saw a human form concealed beneath the dark shade. "You...I swear this is not over, Chosen One! Someday, I will escape from here and believe me; I will hunt you down and...!"

As soon as the Nightmare came in contact with the antimatter, there were enormous dimensional distortions as he screamed in agony as his body was blown to pieces, but his ability to regenerate prevented him from dying as he was constantly scathed by the ever present antimatter. However, the surging concussions blew Ash right back out of the portal, after which it closed, sealing the Nightmare away, until his body would finally be destroyed after one thousand years of torment.

As he fell towards the stadium, Ash could feel the dark aura vanish as the blackness began to recede, allowing light back into the world. However, he was completely spent from his wounds and the poison and could not save himself from the fall. But he didn't mind. Before he lost consciousness, he whispered, "Latias...I'll be seeing you soon..."

"No...don't die...don't die..." "Wake up...wake up, Daddy..." "Don't go away, Daddy...please don't go..." At the sound of familiar voices, Ash slowly opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by his closest friends and family. "Don't tell me...we all died...?" Bayleef, still in tears, replied, "No. you're still alive. Dear little Amber and Onyx saved you from that fall. Mewtwo healed that wound in your body while I used Aromatherapy to remove the poison. You're going to be all right." Ash could feel Amber and Onyx clutching at his face as they cried. He gently stroked their feathers to comfort them. Still, he was disappointed that he was still alive.

"Neo...I want you to do something for me..." Neo knelt down beside his master, "What is it?" Ash looked at him with a tired stare, "I want you to kill me. I want to join Latias...please..." Neo looked disappointed for a moment, but then he chuckled, "If I were to do that, I would have to kill Latias too." Ash looked puzzled, "Wha...? What do you mean by that?" Neo gave him a weird look and pointed, "Just look at who's laying on your chest."

With some difficulty, Ash managed to raise his head and look ahead. What he saw left him speechless. Lying on his chest, while sobbing heavily, was Latias. After a moment of awkward silence, Ash spoke, "Latias?" She then looked up at him and, without saying a word, embraced him.

Ash looked at Neo as if he was going to cry. Neo knew what he was going to ask and said, "I'll admit it was bad. She came extremely close to death. It took me, Mewtwo, and Latios to overcome the poison of the Shadow energy and heal her." Ash then had a look on his face that showed the deepest gratitude Neo had ever seen.

Ash tried to get up, but fell right back down. "Heh, looks like you win, Neo." The bioweapon asked, "Win? Win what?" Ash gave him a funny look, "The championship. Remember the rules? Whoever is unable to continue fighting first is disqualified. I can't even sit up, so that means I can't keep going." Neo objected, "But...but you're the stronger of us. You should have won..." Ash shook his head, "No. I'm pretty sure that if we kept going without any problems, it would've been a draw. I might be stronger and faster than you, but you're almost indestructible and can adapt to any situation. And what's more, you never get tired. You'll always outlast me in endurance, Neo. That's why we're equals."

Neo signaled the referee over, who had been hiding in the bunker where the news crew was. "Sorry, but it looks like Ash can't keep going." The referee gave a sigh of relief that the crazy fighting was over. Into the microphone, he spoke, "Since Ash Ketchum can't continue, the winner by default is...um..." The referee asked Neo, "Is your name Axl or Neo?" Neo suppressed a laugh and replied, "It's Neo Ketchum." The referee ended with, "Is Neo Ketchum!" Audience around the world burst into applause as the new champion was announced.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief that the fighting was over, but as his hand brushed his pocket, he felt a lump. Remembering what Neo gave him, he looked up at him, only to see him give a look that said, "Now is the time."

Ash managed to grab the object in his pocket. "Latias?" His lover looked at him, "Yes, dear?" Ash then slipped the object out of his pocket and said, "Before anything else happens..." He then held up a jewelry box and asked while opening it to her, "Will you marry me?"

Everyone in the stadium, as well as everyone who was watching the event on live television, was silent at the sight of Ash proposing to Latias. As she looked at the gold bracelet's sapphire, tears began to fall from her eyes. "I thought...you would never ask..." Latias leaned forward and embraced her love.

Across the world, cheers and joyful weeping filled the air as Latias gave her answer. "Yes."

* * *

**Chapter End Notes: **See? Why would I let Latias die? ;

* * *

**I was still crying well reading this chapter.**


	25. Once a Year

"Errrrgggghhhhhh..." A moan of forced pleasure was heard in the bedroom of the Chosen One in Pallet Town. A few months had passed since the day Ash sealed the Nightmare away in a dimension of pure matter and antimatter. It was also the day that he had properly proposed to Latias.

"Hooo...was that all...a dream?" Ash sat up in his bed and looked around. He felt a warm sticky substance covering his belly. It was too dark to make it out, so Ash ran his finger over it and took a taste. To his surprise, it was very sweet.

"Huh?" Ash felt down to his groin area to find that his shorts had been pulled down to his ankles. "Latias...she sure is sneaky when she wants to be." Ash got up and made his way to the bathroom to get a wet rag to clean himself off. "I sure feel wide awake. I wonder what time it is."

When Ash got back to his bedroom, he noticed the digital clock was set to after 8 a.m. "What the?! It's not supposed to be this dark out!" Ash looked outside his window and couldn't even see the ground. It was that dark out. "Something's not right here..." Ash slipped on his blue pants and black t-shirt, after fumbling about for a minute, and made his way to the stairs to get outside.

"Here he comes. Everyone ready?" Ash carefully made his way down the stairs as he couldn't even see the steps. However, as soon as he reached the kitchen, light filled the house as if all the light switches had been turned on!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Ash staggered back as he was temporarily blinded by the light. "What the...what happened?!" As soon as his eyes adjusted, Ash looked outside and saw that the sun was high in the sky. "ASH! Aren't you going to say something?!" Ash looked back over to the kitchen table and blushed at the sight of a large cake that was about twice the size of him with his friends and family gathered around with big smiles.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy!" Amber and Onyx flew over to their dad and gave him a big hug. Ash asked, "Hey, how did you guys make it look like it was still dark outside?" Neo laughed, "You liked that?! I used some of Latios's and Latias's feathers to refract the sunlight away, so that only minimal amounts shone on the house. The perfect cover for a surprise." Ash laughed, "Well, you guys really surprised me!"

As Ash headed over to the table, he noticed someone missing. "Where's Latias?" Delia answered, "Oh, don't worry about her, dear. She was just going to get something extra special for you. Now, care to do the honors?" Delia handed her son a long pastry knife. "Sure thing, Mom." Ash took the knife and looked the cake over for the best spot to start cutting, all the while everyone was gathered behind him while trying not to laugh.

"OK. This looks..." Suddenly, a blast of mist blew the top of the cake off as Ash was sent reeling in shock! As the mist cleared, Ash saw a humanoid figure emerge from the top. When he could see it clearly, Ash's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Happy Birthday, big boy! Like what you see?" Standing in the middle of the cake was Bianca wearing a skimpy bikini, giving Ash a playful wink. At least, she looked like Bianca, but Ash noticed right away.

Ash fell flat on his back, "Latias...this is just too much!" Finally, everyone couldn't contain their laughter as Ash twitched from the shock of his fiancé bursting out of his own birthday cake. Seeing that Ash had seen enough, Latias reverted to her normal form and flew over to her soon-to-be husband. "You really should've seen the look on your face. Now, shall we enjoy some cake?"

Mewtwo volunteered to cut the cake and used a Psychic type move that no one had ever seen before to cut the cake without removing any of the good stuff. Neo asked, "Mewtwo, what move is this?" The superclone grinned, "It's a move I recently perfected. I call it Psycho Cut." After cutting slices, Mewtwo served them out to everyone. "Thanks, Uncle Mewtwo!" The lionhearted Pokémon blushed.

"Almost...a little to the right...YOU'VE GOT IT!" Ash then pinned the tail on the donkey, but jumped at a shout! "YEOWCH! What the?!" Latios looked back to see a fake tail pinned on his rear! Ash blushed when he removed the blindfold. Neo sounded like he was going to bust a gut! "NEO! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HELP GUIDE THE PLAYER TO THE DONKEY POSTER, NOT TO ME!" Neo joked, "But you should be thanking me! Latias has a tail, but you don't!" Latias giggled as she looked at her own tail, short as it was. Onyx tried to see his and said, "Hey, where's my tail?! Why does Amber get to have one and not me?!"

"OK! Time to open presents! Who wants to give out their's first?" Amber and Onyx yelled, "WE DO! WE DO!" The two of them flew over to the pile of presents and carried over their present together, which was wrapped in paper that had yellow flowers and bright green ivy. "Aw, that's cute. You wrapped it in your own colors!" Ash said, hinting at the colors of their feathers.

"Let's see...what could it be?" Ash muttered as he removed the wrapping paper. Amber and Onyx showed great excitement as their father unwrapped his present. Inside the paper was a cardboard box. Ash managed to remove the tape and opened the flaps. "It's from both of us, Daddy!" The two infants said in unison. Ash reached in and yanked up a long and wide blue cloth. "Um...what is it?" The babies smiled, "It's a cape! Daddy's a hero, so heroes need capes!" Ash chuckled and said, "Well, it's one of my favorite colors!" He then stood up and tied it around his collar. It was just the right length, going just past the back of his knees. Latias grinned, "Now you look especially heroic, dear." Ash swished his cape as his children ooed and ahhed at him. "This is a really cool gift! Come here, you two!" The babies flew up to Ash's face and gave him a hug. Ash turned his face and gave them both a sweet little kiss.

"Hey, Mewtwo. Why don't you go next?" Mewtwo blushed, "Well...sure." Using telekinesis, he levitated his gift over from the pile. It was a small box that was wrapped in paper that showed the vastness of space. "I got this for you from a company in a foreign land. It should be of great use to you." Ash grinned at the thought of what it could be. Inside the paper was another cardboard box, but this one was filled with packing pellets to cushion impacts. After digging through the stuff, Ash found what seemed to be a large digital watch in a plastic sleeve.

"That's a custom made Poketch, which is short for Pokémon Watch. As well as being a watch, it serves as a calculator, map, pedometer, and multiple other features. However, your's has a unique function. It will alert you to Pokémon and humans within 100 yards." Ash slipped it on his wrist and activated it. After cycling through the features, he came to the radar function and saw two flashing light dots and eight darker dots. The lighter dots showed the location of himself and his mother while the darker ones showed the locations of his Pokémon companions. "Thanks, Mewtwo. I know this will come in handy later." Mewtwo gave a gentle smile.

"I'd say it's my turn to give my little boy something." Delia carried over a box wrapped in light blue paper. "I'm sure you'll like it." Ash grinned and tore away at the paper, revealing another cardboard box. When he opened it, Ash held up a hat that was very similar to the one he had worn in the Hoenn League challenge. However, the black strip came all the way down to the brim, where the older one rounded off at it. The half circle and dot on the black middle part was the same shade of blue as his new cape. He then proceeded to remove everything else from the box. There was a pair pf black sneakers with white soles and red tips at the front. There was a pair of light blue pants with two sets of pockets and a collared black T-shirt with white sleeves and a yellow stripe across the chest.

"Mom?" Delia grinned, "I got those for you to wear on your next journey. That way, you can start fresh with fresh clothes too!" Ash really liked the looks of his new duds and gave his mother a big hug. "Thanks, Mom. I'll be sure to wear them next time I head off to someplace new."

Next up was Pikachu. He walked up to Ash with a colorful bag in hand. "Neo paid for them, but I picked them out." Ash gave his little buddy a grateful pat on the head. "Thanks, Pikachu." Ash took the bag and reached inside. "Wha? Are these...?" Soon, Ash pulled out three balls that he had never seen before.

"Are those new kinds of Poke Balls?" Mewtwo asked. Neo nodded, "Sure are. I'll explain." Neo walked over to Ash and pointed to one. It was mostly pink with bright yellow lines in a broken circle on the front with a blue rim. "This is a Heal Ball. When Pokémon are caught with this, they are healed on the spot. It's a big help if a place to rest isn't close by." Neo then pointed to another one. This one was black with large green spots and a red rim. "This is a Dusk Ball. The less light there is in the area it's used in, the more effective it'll become. Obviously, it's best used at night." He then pointed at the last one. It was mostly light blue, but had thick lightning bolts on it. The rim was a typical black color. "That's a Quick Ball. They detect battle situations and become less effective the longer you wait to use them. They'll go dormant again if the battle ends, so don't panic when using them." Ash gave his little friend a hug. "Thanks. I'll be sure to use them eventually."

Latios floated over to Ash with his gift in hand. "I searched all over Alto Mare for this." Latios then pulled something out of his feathers. Latias gasped, "Brother...how could you remove the Soul Dew?!" Neo added, "YEAH, considering how well I hid that thing!" Latios chuckled, "It does look like it, doesn't it? However, it isn't. It is based on the Soul Dew and is made of solidified spirit energy. Ash, please hold it in your hand." "O...K...?" Latios then set the false Soul Dew in Ash's palm, but didn't let go. Suddenly, a gentle light engulfed them. Neither could move, but Ash could somehow communicate to Latios through his mind.

"Latios...what is this?" The blue and white dragon smiled, "Now, we are true brothers." Ash was confused, but Latios explained, "The pure spirit energy that makes up the Soul Dew replica is also infused with my love for you. I've always loved you as a brother, but we do not share ties of blood. But now, we share ties of the soul. Our spirits have been intertwined as we are now closer than ever before." Ash then could feel the presence of his brother somewhere inside him, as if he could almost feel him floating right next to him. Likewise, Latios could feel the presence of his sister's lover somewhere within his soul. At that moment, Ash could feel a type of kinship with Latios that he never felt with anyone before.

Everyone was kept on edge as the gentle orb of light began to recede. When the light reached in between the hands of Ash and Latios, it disappeared, revealing that they were now holding hands. The blank faces of Ash and Latios suddenly began to shed tears. "Daddy? Uncle Latios? Are you OK?" As if to answer the infants, the Eon Pokémon and Chosen One embraced each other, surprising everyone around them. Ash sobbed, "I love you, Latios..." Latios replied, "I love you as well, my brother..." However, Latias and Neo could sense what had gone on in the Soul Union orb that Latios had crafted and were immensely proud of their brother. (Latios...I would never have expected you to create such a beautiful gift.)

"Um, Ash? What about me?" Ash turned to see Bayleef blushing slightly. He looked back at Latios, who smiled and nodded. The two soul brothers separated and wiped their tears away. "OK. Whatcha got, Bayleef?" She blushed and reached out a Vine Whip into one of Neo's pockets. "I hid it because I was afraid to lose it." Neo noticed what seemed to be a jewelry box emerges in the vine's grasp. "I was wondering what that lump was!"

"I got this just before we left Ever Grande city a few months back. I...hope you like it." Ash took the box and noticed it was the same size as the ones that contained the wedding bracelets Neo had bought for him and Latias. When he opened it, he picked up a bracelet that was identical to their's, except it was silver and had an emerald instead of a ruby or sapphire.

"Bayleef?" She looked away, "I saw how the colors of the gemstones in your bracelets reminded you of each other, so I got one with an emerald, so you would never forget me. The silver and green colors are complimentary of your wedding bracelet's gold and red colors, so I knew it wouldn't clash." Ash gazed at the bracelet for a moment, but then he kneeled down and embraced the surprised Bayleef. "I'll treasure this. Even though Latias and I are engaged, I'll always love you too." Bayleef shed tears of unexpected joy as her crush confessed his feelings to her. Latias wasn't the least bit jealous, knowing that Bayleef had been in love with Ash longer than she had been.

"I guess I'm up next." Neo walked forward with a grin. "So, a gift from my own Guardian? This'll be good." Neo handed Ash a box which looked like it might contain something flat and round. Ash carefully opened the box, but Neo's voice suddenly yelled, "GARY OAK SUCKS! ASH KETCHUM IS THE ULTIMATE!" Ash held up a sign of sorts with a dumbfounded look on his face. It depicted Ash standing on a bruised and battered Gary Oak while making the peace sign. It had a speaker in it that seemed to detect motion.

"The heck...? Neo...what is this?!" Neo gave a huge grin as everyone looked equally baffled. "It's Anti Gary Oak merchandise! I know what a jerk he is and I think he deserves it. What's more, I installed these at every single road sign in the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions! Now everyone will know what a jerk he is. And if he ever tries to destroy them, he'll find that they can only be destroyed by something as powerful as me. Pretty clever, huh?" Ash, as well as everyone in the room burst into hysterical laughter! "Oh...Neo...I can't thank you enough! I've been waiting to get my chance to get mud all over Gary's name!" Neo and Ash gave each other playful bop on the shoulders.

"Hey sis, aren't you going to give out your's?" Neo asked Latias, but she blushed very deeply. "Sorry, but mine's not ready yet. It'll be ready tonight, so could you please wait, sweetie?" Ash was puzzled that it wouldn't be ready until nightfall, but he nodded, "That's cool. I'll be expecting it. Now then, how about some games?" Everyone agreed and helped clean up the mess before heading outside for games that only they could participate in.

"Woo! That was a blast! Hey Latios, where's Latias?" Ash's soul brother grinned, "Oh yes, she told me to let you know that her gift for you is ready. She's waiting for you in your bedroom." Ash thanked him and headed upstairs, which had a third floor now due to the additions to the family. It was quite late and the babies were fast asleep. Ash still had some getting used to the bigger house to do.

Ash came to his bedroom door and knocked, "Latias, are you ready?" She replied, "Sure am. Come in." Ash opened the door and looked around, but saw that aside from a desk lamp providing a little light; it seemed that there was no one there. That is, until Ash heard the door close behind him and turned to see who was with him.

"WHA?! BIANCA?!" Standing in front of him was Bianca. However, she was completely nude. This threw Ash for a loop since he had never seen a human girl nude before. However, he remembered something. "Wait a sec...Latias?" The girl smiled, "You saw right through my disguise. So, what do you think? Quite a gift, huh?" More than anything, Ash's gaze was drawn to her breasts. They seemed far too large for a young girl. They were D cups at least.

"Uh...Latias? Why are your...um..." Latias looked at where Ash was pointing and noticed that her breasts were indeed quite large, even though she had not intentionally made them that way. "Hmmm. I don't remember them being this big when we first met. I wonder why?" Latias began to lift them with her hands. "They're heavy. Is there something inside them?" Latias then felt the rough texture of her nipples on her breasts. "I wonder what these are for." Latias then began to apply pressure as if she was trying to get toothpaste from an almost empty tube. Suddenly, a white liquid sprayed from the nipples, splashing onto Ash's shirt.

"White? Is it...milk?" Latias just then remembered something. "Oh right, I remember! When humans give birth, their breasts begin to produce milk! My breasts must have gotten bigger because I gave birth a few months ago." Ash added, "Not just that. You gave birth to twins, so your breasts needed to make twice as much milk as normal!" Latias giggled, but then looked at her breasts again. "Funny thing is; Amber and Onyx don't need my milk. What should I do with it?" Ash smirked and quickly pressed his lips against one and began to suck.

"Ash, what are you...uh...AH!" Latias was reeling in pleasure as her lover suckled from her breast. "Ash, this feels...so good! More! I need more!" Her womanhood was starting to get moist as she became aroused. Ash was also enjoying the drink as Latias could feel her breast becoming lighter. He even began to wonder if the milk he was drinking tasted the same as his mother's milk when he was an infant.

Once Ash couldn't feel any more fluid coming, he looked up at Latias, whose face was a deep blush. "There's...still one more, dear. Help...yourself." Ash grinned and began to suckle from the other breast as Latias moaned in pleasure, her womanhood soaked in arousal. "I never...would've guessed that...breastfeeding could...feel so wonderful!" At last, Latias couldn't hold out any longer and had a gentle orgasm, letting out a sigh of pleasure as her love juices flowed from her womanhood and down her thighs.

Once Ash had drunk his fill, he looked up at Latias, but began to sweat as he looked at her eyes. They were filled with pure lust and desire. Slowly, she laid him down on the bed and began to remove his clothing. Finally, Ash brought up the question, "Latias, what was the gift you were gonna give me?" She let out a sweet giggle as she tossed his shirt and pants to the side. "My gift to you is sex with a human girl." Ash blushed, "But Latias! You know I prefer you to be in your normal form! Why this?!" She then finished removing his underwear, "You've had sex with me and Bayleef, but you've never mated with a female of your own species. I want to know what it's like. To know if it feels better to mate with you while in a human form, or my normal form." Ash blushed, but said, "OK, if that's what you want. I gotta say, you're really sexy regardless of what form you take." Latias gave him a smirk, "Is that so?! Well, I guess I better live up to your expectations! Get ready!" Latias then grabbed his limp member.

"Hey! Be careful with that! That's some delicate stuff!" Latias giggled, "I know! Now, just relax." She then took the whole thing in her mouth. "Aahhhh...I remember this..." Latias didn't have to wait long for Ash's penis to stiffen. She began to move her head up and down a bit faster every few seconds. "OK Latias. I'm ready." However, Latias didn't pay any attention as she continued to deep throat her lover's lovestick. "Latias, come on! I said I'm ready!" She still acted like she didn't hear him. By now, Ash could feel pressure building in his testicles as he neared orgasm. "Latias...you've got to stop now...or else, I'll...nnnnnnggggghhhhhhh!" Ash's face went red with a blush as his member fired its sweet sperm into Latias's mouth. She savored the sweet flavor of Ash's seed and kept gulping it down as more filled her mouth.

"Mmmmm...that was delicious. How does pure protein taste so sweet?" Ash caught his breath as he panted, "Latias...you really like the taste of that stuff, don't you?" Latias giggled, "Of course! I'm sure that the flavor depends on the personality of the boy who produces it. So you must be the sweetest boy of them all!" Ash was about to say something, but was cut off as Latias took his limp member into her mouth again.

"Erf...you can't get enough of that stuff, huh? Wha...?" Ash noticed Latias stop only a moment later and climbed onto the bed with him. His member had become stiff again. "Now, let's get started on the real thing." She then lay on her back as Ash looked her over. "Man...I don't think I've ever seen a girl as beautiful as you." Her large breasts added zest to her already perfect body. She had a perfect hourglass frame and an angelic face. Her eyes still shone in a golden color. "So, shall we?" Ash nodded and grabbed his member, slowly guiding it to his lover's welcoming womanhood.

"AH! It...feels so lovely!" Latias yelled as Ash slowly pushed it in while groaning in pleasure as her soft folds engulfed him. "Latias...I can't tell the difference between your normal form and this!" She screamed, "Don't stop, please! Give me your seed!" Ash didn't want to deny his fiancé what she wanted and began to thrust in and out of her. The feel of his bare flesh slapping into her's was a new feeling, as he would usually feel her soft feathers instead.

"Ash...please lean forward." Ash did as he was asked. Just then, Latias folded her legs over his back and held him against her. "Now, we can't be separated until we're done." Ash chuckled as he continued thrusting, "Hey, I won't disappoint you. I'll give you as much as you want." Just then, Latias screamed as her passage clamped down on Ash's member as she let loose with a powerful orgasm, her back arching as her juices squeezed past Ash's member. Not long after, Ash groaned, "Here it comes...nnnneeeeerrrrggggggg!" Latias quivered as she felt Ash's seed flood into her womb. "It's throbbing! I can feel it pumping your seed into me!" Latias pinned Ash to her body with her legs to make sure every last drop was not wasted. Only when she couldn't feel anymore sperm coming from Ash's member did she release him.

"Wow...that was some gift...huh?!" Ash jumped when he felt Latias take his member into her mouth once more. This time, she reveled at the combined flavors of her juices and Ash's seed. Two completely different flavors mixed into a cocktail of sweetness. Once Ash's member was stiff again, she looked up at him, "Just one more thing I want to try. Ready?"

Ash was baffled that Latias claimed there was something she hadn't done with him yet, but blushed heavily when Latias got down on hands and knees. "Can you guess what I want to try?" As he looked over her shapely hips, Ash backed away, "Latias, I really don't think this one's a good idea!" Latias frowned, "I'll let you know if it hurts. I want to know what it's like, even if just once. Besides, I bathed a little while ago, so I'm clean. Please?" Ash sighed, "OK, just this once."

Ash set his hand down on Latias's hip and slowly guided his boyhood to her anus. "I still have my doubts about this..." Ash, very slowly, pushed his member inside her, causing Latias to groan since it was smaller than her womanhood. "It's so tight...but I like it!" Ash started to pull in and out very slowly to avoid hurting either of them. "It's so tight!" Latias groaned in enjoyment as she felt the slow careful treatment.

Due to the increased pressure on his member, Ash felt an orgasm coming onto him much sooner than he expected. "Whoa...it's already...GRRRRAAAHHHHHH!" He hardly said anything as his boyhood fired its load up inside Latias's rectum. She cooed in satisfaction as she felt a warm feeling coat her insides. Although not quite as enjoyable as feeling Ash's seed filling her womb, it was still a pleasant experience.

"Slowly...almost out...phew..." A funny pop was heard as Ash removed his member from Latias's behind. Just then, she reverted to her true form in a flash of light. "So...did you like your birthday gift?" Ash collapsed from exhaustion. "Yeah...although I don't think I'll want to do that last one again. It just didn't feel right." Latias nodded, "True. I didn't enjoy it as much as the right way to do it."

Ash yanked the blanket over him and his fiancé. "I guess we should start sending out invitations tomorrow, huh?" Latias smiled, "Yes. The wedding is in two weeks. Still, is it legal for a 13 year old boy to get married?" Ash laughed, "I don't know, but I found someone who likes me, so I'm sure he'd make an exception for us." Latias felt the efforts of her performance take its toll and started to drift off to sleep. "Good night...my...love..." Ash gave her a sweet kiss on the nose, "Good night, my little ruby." As they fell asleep in each other's loving embrace, Neo stargazed on the roof, imagining the day in two weeks when he and Ash would finally become brothers.

* * *

**Chapter End Notes: **One chapter to go. Will it be the end? Or the beginning


	26. Secret Garden of Forevermore

"It's been so long since I've been here. Hope I don't get lost." Misty departed from the ferry that had just docked in Alto Mare. She was dressed in a lovely scarlet dress that she wore only on special occasions. She looked around at everyone going about their own business, oblivious to the event happening in the city.

"Let's see...I knew I should've brought the invitation with directions. Where should I go?" Thinking she would find what she was looking for if she searched the dark alleys, Misty turned and headed down the first one she saw. However, she didn't get far as a hooded figure emerged from the shadows and blocked her path!

"Huh?! Who're you?! Are you some kinda mugger?!" The figure remained silent for a moment, but spoke in a dark tone, "What's the password?" Misty began to sweat as she tried to recall the password on the invitation. "Uh...I know what it is...Just let me think." Right there, she remembered, "Soul Dew." The figure nodded, "Come with me." He turned and headed down the corridor with Misty in tow. She was hoping this wasn't a trap.

As the pair made their way through crowds and dark narrow corridors, Misty asked, "Hey, just who are you?" The hooded figure replied, "You'll see when we get there." Misty couldn't put her finger on it, but she could have sworn she had seen the green clothes the escort was wearing before. The hood was also green and seemed to be a part of his shirt.

"Um, how far are we now?" The escort replied, "Not far." Soon, they passed under a vine choked archway that covered an entire corridor. At the end was a fountain that was being bathed in by a few Pidgey. Soon, Misty watched as the escort seemed to walk right through a wall in a glow of light. "Now I remember." Misty then walked right through the wall and found herself in a place she recognized instantly.

"I take it that you know where you are?" The escort asked as Misty gazed throughout the Secret Garden that she had visited in the past with Ash and Brock. She saw that she wasn't alone, as several Gym Leaders, as well as high ranking Trainers, along with old friends had already arrived. Even the shop clerk that had sold Neo the wedding bracelets had arrived. Suddenly, the escort faced her and pulled down the hood that was obscuring his face.

"I hope your personality has become more pleasant since our last encounter in Sootopolis." Misty grinned, "It's been a long time, Neo. I never knew your shirt had a hood built into it." He chuckled, "It is a combination of the uniforms worn by Team Aqua and Team Magma. The shirts worn by members of Team Magma have hoods, so they were included in this uniform's design." Misty grinned, but looked around. "Where's Ash?" Neo turned, "I'll show you."

"I can't believe this day is really happening." Ash gazed at the fountain where the Soul Dew used to be. Dressed in a blue suit, he was truly an attractive sight. However, he still had Butterfrees in his stomach. He knew this was an important day and that he loved Latias enough to marry her, but his nerves just didn't seem to agree.

"Hey Ash! Someone's here to see you!" Ash turned to see Misty run up to him and gave him a big hug. "Huh?! Misty?!" She cried, "You really are such a stud! I've never seen you look so handsome!" Unable to contain her delight, Misty began to madly kiss Ash all over his face, much to Neo's embarrassment. "Good grief. Do you always have this problem with the ladies?" Ash gasped, "Not normally! Get her off!" Neo nodded and used Disable to paralyze Misty in place.

"I'm sorry. I just had to get that off my chest. You don't mind, right?" Ash shrugged, "I guess not. I'm just glad you're not upset anymore." Misty blushed, "How could I be upset after...oh!" Two figures flew overhead as a little boy's voice shouted, "There's Daddy! Oh, and Uncle Neo!" Just then, an infant Latios and Latias flew down to Ash and embraced him together. "Daddy and Mommy are getting married!"

Misty stuttered, "Daddy? Wait...did you and Latias...have kids?" Ash blushed, "Uh...heheheh...yeah. This here is Amber and Onyx. They were born the night before we left Sootopolis." Misty yelled, "AND YOU DIDN'T SHOW ME?! WHY?!" Amber yelled back, "HEY! Don't yell at Daddy!" Ash intervened, "It's OK, Amber. I'm sorry, Misty. I completely forgot about you when I met them for the first time. I just...was so happy to finally hold my own kids that some things just slipped my mind." Misty sighed, "That's fine. I guess if I had just given birth to my child, I would've been the same way. Still, they're really cute and I'm glad they're just as sweet as you."

"Well, I see that all the guests have arrived, eh brother?" The group looked around to find Latios floating just overhead. "Hi, Uncle Latios!" He smiled, "Hello, my little ones. Hello, Misty." Misty bowed, "I'm glad that you're alive to attend your sister's wedding." Latios gave a big toothy grin, "Attend it? I'm a part of it! My dear brother here gave me the honor of being his Best Man!" Ash blushed as Misty asked, "Brother? I thought you only had a sister. Who's your brother?" Latios locked eyes with Ash and said, "He's right here." The two soul brothers then gave each other a loving embrace. "Wow. Ash and Latios sure have gotten close." Neo chuckled, "You have no idea. Latios loves Ash so much; he went through a sacred ritual for them to become Soul Brothers. They're closer than ever before." Misty looked back at the two soul brothers and smiled. Ash had always been a single child, but now he had a true brother.

"You know, there are refreshments available throughout the garden. Just don't let me catch you littering. I'm being serious." Misty was quite thirsty now and thanked Ash for inviting her before heading off in search of a refreshment table. However, Ash and the rest had no time to talk as another familiar voice cried, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAA! My little boy is getting married so soon!" Delia Ketchum ran up to Ash and smothered his face in her chest. "Now now, I know that you're happy to see your son getting married, but do you really want to suffocate him before it even begins?" Professor Oak tried to comfort Mrs. Ketchum as she cried. "I'm just so happy that this day is here! You've found the perfect girl for all the right reasons. I'm so proud of you!" Ash managed to look up at his mother, "Thanks, Mom. I'm glad that you're so happy for me, but please! I gotta breathe!" Ash gasped for breath as he wiggled out of his mother's arms, much to the amusement to his brothers and children.

"Mom, I know I'm still a kid, but I'm not a baby! I'm the Chosen One! I have the power to defend this world from any threat!" Delia wiped her tears away, "I know, but you'll always be my little boy. Your age doesn't change that." Ash embraced his mother, "I know that. I never get tired of you. I couldn't ask for a better Mom than you." Everyone around them awed in delight at the bond Ash still had with his mother.

"Ash, where is your fiancé anyway? I want to see my daughter-in-law in her wedding dress!" Ash blushed, "Uh, she's still getting ready at Bianca's house. Mewtwo will Teleport her over here when she's ready." Delia sighed, "Oh yes, bless his soul. Mewtwo will make a fine son-in-law. I'll leave you to your friends now, OK sweetie?" Ash nodded as his mother and Professor Oak headed off to mingle with the guests.

"Hmmm...I think it could use a large ribbon around the waist." The girl spoke while she observed herself in a mirror. A band of light began to circle her waist as she closed her eyes. Soon, a pink ribbon was wrapped around the waist as the light receded. As the girl looked at her form in the mirror, pure happiness swelled in her heart. "I still can't believe this day has come. I can't believe that Ash and I will fall asleep tonight not as mere lovers, but as husband and wife. He's so perfect...why was it me who was blessed to fall in love with him?" Tears of bliss began to fall from her face as her face turned red in a deep blush as she held her hands to her chest. "I love him...I love him so much...He gave me his love. He gave me his children. And now, he's giving me his hand in marriage... Ash, why are you so perfect?"

There was a knock at the door. "Latias, may I enter?" The girl recognized the voice of Bianca. "Yes. Please enter." The old friend of Latias came in wearing a black dress that seemed to suit her perfectly. "Oh my, you look splendid! Oh, you let your hair flow down! I've grown so accustomed to seeing you with my hair." Latias giggled. It was true. Her hairstyle had been identical to Bianca's, but this time she altered her hair into flowing down her back instead of Bianca's shorter hairstyle.

"I'm jealous. All you have to do is focus to change your appearance while I have to do it manually." Latias giggled, "That's true, but you still turned out lovely." Bianca smiled, knowing that Latias had been taught by Ash that looks aren't everything. "Yeah. I really can't tell you how relieved I was when I heard you were holding the wedding here. This is the place where we've known each other for so long." Latias gave her friend a hug, "Don't be so sad. This is the day I've lived for. Even though we'll leave afterwards, I can still come back to visit. I'm sure Amber and Onyx would love to visit now and then." Bianca smiled, "I know. It's just that you and Latios are my best friends. It's hard to see you go."

Latias gazed at Bianca's black dress and back at her white wedding dress. "I see that our dresses reflect our emotions. I'm very excited and happy about this day, but you are dreading it, knowing that I will leave afterwards." Bianca laughed, "It's not that! I'm just wearing this because it's the best dress I have! Although...you do have a point." Latias frowned at Bianca's predicament, but Bianca noticed and said, "Don't worry about me. I know that your love to your husband is more important. Hey, don't be so worried. Have a blast with him! Do all the naughty things with him that you've dreamed about!" Latias burst into laughter, "I suppose I could! But I've already done the 'naughty' things with Ash already! You have met Amber and Onyx, right?"

Bianca blushed, "I still can't believe that you're a mother now. I really can't imagine what you looked like when you were pregnant. You've always seemed so young, so I thought you couldn't have children. You must have been so beautiful..." Latias placed her hand on her slim belly, "I know. I remember when I was nearing the day I was to give birth. Ash claimed I looked more beautiful than ever, so I felt beautiful as well. To have little children growing inside you is a wonderful feeling I can't describe. I truly enjoyed my pregnancy. I wonder if I'll ever have more children." Bianca wiped her tears away, "That's so sweet that he thought you were pretty when you were carrying his children, but enough of this reminiscing. I've wasted enough of your time already. We need to get over to the garden! Are you ready?" Latias gave herself a once over in the mirror and said, "Yep, I'm good to go!" Bianca grinned, "OK! Let's go find Mewtwo to get us to the garden. I'm curious to see how handsome your hubbie's gotten since I last saw him!"

"So, Mewtwo and Neo are in charge of security? I'm not too surprised at that!" May and Max had found Ash and had joined in a conversation. "Hey, May. You're not still upset about my love of Latias, are you?" May blushed and looked away slightly, "Just a little. I've learned to accept it, but I still always hoped that it would be me you married." Ash started to look glum, but May smiled, "Oh, I'm fine though! Being the godmother of your sweet little children is good enough for me!" Ash grinned and looked May and Max over. May was wearing a bright red gown while Max was wearing a little tuxedo. "You're really cute in that tux, Max." Max, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit pleased. "I only wore this thing for the wedding. Once this is over, I'm never wearing it again! I HATE THESE THINGS!" Ash laughed, "I hear ya! I can't stand super fancy dos either! That's why I didn't want anyone to come like that if they didn't want to." Max looked utterly surprised at this, but he then ran off. May giggled, "Uh oh. Looks like Mom's gonna get an earful in a second."

As he looked May over, Ash couldn't believe how beautiful she was in her gown. "May?" She looked at him after sipping her punch, "Yes?" Ash blushed, "I...have to say, I don't think you've ever looked as beautiful as you do now." May was taken aback for a second, but soon, she set her glass down on a nearby table with an amorous twinkle in her eyes. "Huh? May, what are...mmph!" May cut Ash off when she threw her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. She began to lick at his lips, which Ash replied in kind as he greeted her tongue with his own. May felt tears flow down her face as she felt Ash's tongue caress her own in the first kiss she had received in about a year. After a moment of bliss, May chose to break the kiss and pulled her head back, causing a string of their saliva to dangle for a second. "Sorry, I just had to give you one last kiss before losing you forever." Ash grinned, "That's fine. I enjoyed it too."

"It's been far too long, child." Ash thought he vaguely recognized the voice. When he turned around, he saw a middle aged man with somewhat spiky black hair dressed in a black and red silk robe. "Is that...you, Koga?" The ninja bowed, "Thank you for remembering. Yes, it is I, Koga, the Fuchsia Gym Leader. I see that you have matured quite well since our battle." May asked, "So, Ash earned a badge from you? How long ago was it?" Koga grinned, "It's been over two years. But enough questions. I have come to present you with a gift, Ash." With that, Koga pulled out a scroll and unfurled it rather stylishly. He quickly pressed his hand against it and in a puff of smoke, something appeared. Koga then quickly rolled the scroll up and was seen with a katana of sorts in his right hand.

"I am aware of the great battles you endured as the Chosen One. I have personally crafted this blade for you." Ash smiled, but refused, "Thanks, but I don't really need it. I already have a sword, and it's all I need." Koga laughed, "Yes, I remember seeing you with that blade! However, this is not a typical sword. Hold it up to your eyes and draw it out." Ash then took the scabbard in hand and held the hilt up to his eyes, when he drew the blade out a bit, he gasped at the blade. It looked like finely polished wood, but with the typical steel color. "The blade is forged from Damascus steel, a steel alloy with a unique appearance, which I'm sure you see. However, hold it up to the sun." Ash did as he said and was surprised to see blue, reddish pink, bright emerald green, and yellow flash along the blade. "It is infused with the same life force of your wife, brother, and children. Due to their eternal life, this sword will withstand the eons of time without losing any of its quality. It is also impossible to damage as long as all four live. I call it, the Eon Blade."

As he looked at the new weapon that had been bestowed on him, Ash got an idea. He ran a short distance away and summoned his own sword, shocking May and Koga equally. Taking both swords in hand, he began to swing them around like a pair of dual swords, two halves to a whole. He looked like a master of the art of swordplay as he performed. Once he had the feel of using two blades at once, he dismissed his own sword and returned the Eon Blade to its scabbard. "This is a really cool gift, Koga. I'll use it honorably." Koga bowed, "As I expected. Now then, if you'll excuse me." He turned and headed off towards his sister, Ira.

Suddenly, a voice filled the garden, "All guests, please gather at the front of the fountain. It is time to begin the ceremony." All the guests began to make their way as directed. "Well, guess I better head over too. See ya!" May waved as she walked off to the designated point. "Wow Ash, you look sexier with every day!" Ash turned to see who said that and blushed at the sight of his fiancé in a wedding dress. He still couldn't get over the size of her chest, and since Bianca was standing right next to her, he could really see the difference now.

"Uh, Ash? What's wrong?" Ash covered his face with a hand and replied, "It's just...now I see the big difference with Bianca right next to you!" Bianca seemed confused, but Latias giggled, "He means my breasts. Since humans develop milk in them when they have a baby, mine have grown as well." Bianca blushed, "Now that you mention it, I guess you have a point, although I never would've expected you to refer to something like that, Ash!"

"So, what to you think? Did I turn out OK?" Ash was speechless for a moment, but finally said, "You're beautiful. What more can I say?" Latias blushed, "You always were honest. Hm?" Latias noticed something in Ash's eyes just behind his loving gaze. (Is he...disappointed? Why? What did I do wrong?) Before anyone could say anything more, Mewtwo interrupted, "I don't wish to interrupt, but should we start?" Ash gulped, "Uh, right! Let's get started!"

"I can't believe I was blessed to see this day. Better whip up a fitting tune." Neo chuckled as he used psychic power to manipulate wind to create a pleasant tune that seemed to suit the occasion. The guests were charmed by the lovely music that filled the area. Max spoke, "All right! Here they come!"

As the ceremony got under, the guests turned to see little Amber gleefully floating about as she tossed rose petals ahead of the group. As her father promised, she was the Flower Girl of the wedding. As she tossed the petals upwards however, the wind that was making the music swept up the petals and began to carry them along, dazzling the guests in an ever growing rope of rose petals.

Alongside his sister was Onyx, carrying a pillow with his parent's wedding bracelets side by side. He seemed immensely proud to be carrying the bracelets that would bind Ash and Latias together in eternal love. He had already believed that their family was complete, but now, he felt that they weren't just complete, but unbreakable.

"Oh, she's so beautiful! Ash found himself a real peach!" May's mother, Caroline, whispered to her own husband, Norman, as Latias began to make her way down towards the fountain. Bayleef had been offered the role as the Maid of Honor and had happily accepted. She walked by Latias's side as she tried her hardest to accept the fact that Ash would be lost forever at the day's end. Latias had her face partially obscured by the bouquet of she was carrying, but no one minded at all.

Next came the groom and his Best Man. Ash slowly proceeded down the path towards the fountain with Latios at his side. Latios seemed overjoyed to be the Best Man of his brother, but laughed to himself as he saw Ash had a look of extreme nervousness on his face. That is, until he heard his mother cry out loudly. The guests smiled at her, knowing that she wasn't upset, but happy to the point of being in tears. This also seemed to suppress Ash's giddiness as he suddenly had a satisfied smile now.

"At last." Latias whispered as she stood beside her lover in front of the fountain while Onyx floated just behind them with the bracelets. He was trying to be on his best behavior and was determined to not mess anything up. Standing before the three was a familiar face that Ash immediately recognized. "It's been too long, Surge." The Vermillion City Gym Leader gave a big toothy grin, "It sure has. You're no baby anymore, seeing as how you found yourself a real beauty. But in any case..." Lt. Surge's voice changed to a surprisingly sincere tone, "I'm honored that you wanted me to do this. I'm pretty surprised that you learned I was a chaplain in the war." The Lieutenant was dressed in a white priest's robe, which was a big surprise to those who knew him.

As the guests looked on, the Lieutenant spoke, "As you know, we are gathered here today to witness a grand event in history. Against the odds, as well as the teachings of humans and Pokémon being mere companions at most, this amazing human boy and this beautiful Pokémon girl have looked beyond the norms of society and found true love with each other. And as you can see by the two cutie kids over here, they've done a lot more than just that!" A wave of laughter flowed through the guests as Amber and Onyx looked around, confused of what Lt. Surge was referring to.

"Now, the two lovebirds shall exchange vows in the forms of the wedding bracelets, which together form a whole, while being separate causes them to be unable to survive." Onyx floated forward as his mother and father turned to face him. Ash patted his son's head, earning a happy coo from him. With his gold bracelet and sapphire in hand, Ash turned to Latias and spoke, "Latias, as the shape of this bracelet shows, my love for you is eternal, never ending in a perfect circle. And what's more, as the Chosen One of legend, I will protect you along with this world, as I can't survive without either. You are the world to me." The guests awed at Ash's devotion to his lover as he slid the sapphire topped bracelet onto her right hand.

Next, Latias took the ruby topped bracelet from the pillar and gave Onyx a loving kiss on the forehead. "You are a very good Ring Bearer." Onyx smiled and flew over to Amber to watch the rest of the reception. With the bracelet in hand, Latias spoke to her fiancé, "Ash, since the day I first met you, I have never been able to get you out of my head. But to see you leave was only the beginning of my heartache. My dreams have only reached higher and higher since the day you returned to me. I wished that we would become lovers. Then I wished that we would become parents. And now, I have wished that we would become husband and wife. My dreams could only be reached with you, and I wish that we will continue to reach ever higher together." As she slipped the ruby topped bracelet onto Ash's right hand, Latias could no longer hold back her tears of joy and let them fall.

"Now then, do you, Ash Ketchum, take Latias as your loving wife and to devote yourself to her in sickness and in health until death do you part?" Ash nodded, "I do." Surge then turned to Latias, "And do you, Latias, take Ash as your loving husband and to devote yourself to him in sickness and in health until death do you part?" She nodded, "I do." Surge then raised his arms up, "Then I pronounce..." Surge stopped suddenly as he looked at the sky.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Ash turned and looked up, but gazed in awe at what he, and everyone else saw. The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, were sweeping across the sky which, despite being the afternoon, was as black as Ash's hair. Latias gasped, "Those have never happened here. And it's far too early to be dark out. Why is this happening?" Neo laughed, "You mean you still don't get it?" Everyone faced the bioweapon. "Do you know why?"

Neo had a sneaky smirk on his face as everyone seemed to listen with bated breath. "It is a sign. Your bond has paved the way for a new era of acceptance between humans and Pokémon. This is the Earth's way of blessing your union." Ash and Latias looked at the sky and saw the wisdom in Neo's words. If they could find love, why not everyone else?

Surge clapped his hands, "Sorry for the delay! Shall we continue?" Everyone pulled themselves together and faced the fountain. Ash and Latias stood at attention as well. "Now then, where was I? Oh yes. I hereby pronounce you as man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Everyone watched closely as the two faced each other. Delia was crying a river as she tried to not breakdown in a joyful fit. Latios had his claws at his teeth as he waited in anticipation of what awaited.

As Latias lowered her flowers to allow Ash to kiss her, she noticed the disappointment in his eyes again. She couldn't understand it. What had she forgotten? She had made her outfit as lovely as possible. She remembered the bracelets and when she first met him. What could she have forgotten?

(What is it that disappoints him so? What have I not done? Wait! Could it be something that I HAVE done?) As Latias searched her memory for anything that could hint as to what she may or may not have done to disappoint her husband, she suddenly remembered a sentence he had said on the night of two weeks ago. "You know I prefer you in your true form. Why this?" Latias felt tears flow down her face as she whispered, "How could I have forgotten?"

Understanding that Latias had remembered, Ash moved his face forward for the kiss. However, Latias began to shine in a bright light as her dress seemed to fall apart from the bottom up in a flurry of glowing particles. As Ash joined lips with his lover, the light receded, revealing to the shocked guests Latias in her true form. As human boy and Pokémon girl sealed their marriage, the guests burst into cheers and applause. Delia in particular burst into a loud and joyful crying fit as her son and his lover became husband and wife.

"This should be good." Neo chuckled as Latias floated above the ground as a crowd of the female guests gathered below. "I hope I know how this is done. Catch, girls!" With that, Latias performed an underhanded toss with her bouquet of flowers as the women below scrambled for the catch.

"What the...?" To everyone's surprise, a vine shot out of the crowd and snatched the bouquet from the air. "Wait...that's from...!" Ash stared as the crowd spread out to see who grabbed the bouquet. Standing with the flowers next to her face was Bayleef. She looked at Ash and said, "You do know what happens when a girl catches this, right?" Ash blushed and nervously kicked at the ground. (Who knows? Someday, it just might happen.)

Later that night, as the Northern Lights still waved across the sky, couples had gathered on the dance floor as Neo cranked out music on equipment he personally brought in himself. Due to the lack of electricity in the garden, Pikachu volunteered to power the gear. Neo looked like he was enjoying performing as a DJ. However, Ash didn't seem to want to dance.

"What's wrong? Are you just nervous about it?" Ash replied, "Sorry. It's just that I'm not all that good at dancing." Latias giggled, "I have faith in you. Please, I don't want to dance with anyone but you." Ash looked up at his wife's pleading face and sighed, "OK. I'll try, but don't be surprised if I don't do well." Latias nodded and took his hand. However, when they reached the middle, Neo stopped the music.

Everyone looked at Ash and Latias, since they were the stars of the wedding. Just then, Neo spoke, "Ash, look at where you've gotten today. I'm sure that you must have been afraid of being criticized for your feelings for Latias. That's why you didn't come back to her right away, right? But now, you and her are together like never before, all thanks to your absolution. Therefore, I have the perfect song for you two. Ready?" Ash and Latias looked at each other and said back to Neo, "Crank it!" Neo hit the music, which began to play out 'Dreams of an Absolution.'

As the music began to play, the couples started dancing again. Ash and Latias were no exception. In tune with the music, they were dancing like pros, even though Latias's feet never touched the ground. Then, the lyrics began.

_In the night light, do you see what you dream?  
All your troubles, are they what they seem?_

Look around you, then you may realize  
All the preachers, all with their lies

And I might know of our future  
But then you still control the past

Only you know if you'll be together  
Only you know if we shall last

Ash and Latias seemed to be entranced by the song, dancing in perfect unison, as if they were one mind. Soon, all other couples stopped dancing just to watch the two newlyweds dance to the song that depicted how their lives had come together.

_In the night light, do you still feel your pain?  
For the valor you wait; it never came_

If you were able, would you go change the past?  
To mend a faux pas with one last chance?

And I might know of our future  
But then you still control the past

Only you know if we'll be together tonight

'Cause every night I will save your life  
And every night I will be with you  
'Cause every night I still lay awake  
And I dream of an absolution

'Cause every night I will make it right  
And every night I will come to you  
But every night it just stays the same  
In my dream of an absolution

Mewtwo chuckled at just how accurately the song matched up with the events that led to this day. How Latias waited everyday in the hopes that Ash would return, but never came. How she wished that she could change the past, so she could've told Ash how she truly felt.

_In the night light, do you see what you dream?  
All your triumph and all you'll ever be_

Look around you, then you may realize  
Happiness lies trapped in misery

And who knows what of our future  
We can all try to change the past

Only you know if we'll be together tonight

'Cause every night I will save your life  
And every night I will be with you  
'Cause every night I still lay awake  
And I dream of an absolution

'Cause every night I will make it right  
And every night I will come to you  
But every night it just stays the same  
In my dream of an absolution

As they danced, Ash and Latias rarely took their eyes off each other. "You're dancing very well, dear." Ash replied, "Hey, when it comes to you, I can do anything."

_'Cause every night I will save your life  
And every night I will be with you  
'Cause every night I still lay awake  
And I dream of an absolution_

'Cause every night I will make it right  
And every night I will come to you  
But every night it just stays the same  
In my dream of an absolution

And you'll seeeeee

What you'll beeeee

And you'll seeeeee

All you can

And every night  
And every night  
And every night  
I will dreeeeaaam

And you'll seeeee  
That this is my dream  
And you'll seeee  
Every niiiiight  
I will always dreeeaaam

Once the song drew to a close, Ash and Latias looked around at the sound of applause. "Well, how'd I do?" Latias embraced him, "I think you danced splendidly. Better than Latios, at least." Latios asked, "Huh, did you say something?" "Oh, nothing." Latias lied with a guilty smirk.

As all the guests returned home with the vow to never reveal the location of the Secret Garden, Ash and his new family were flying through the starry sky on Neo in Lugia form. However, Neo had a nagging hunch that their troubles were only beginning. (I just know it. The battle against the Nightmare was just the beginning.) Still, he wasn't worried, knowing that nothing could withstand Ash's true power.

Amber and Onyx laid fast asleep in their father's arms, having stayed up long past their bedtime. Mewtwo spoke, "So Ash, I suppose that we aren't just friends now, but brothers." Ash faced his new brother-in-law and smiled, "Yeah. It's hard to believe that this day really happened. And I'm still just a kid." Latias whispered, "Age means nothing. Look at me. I'm well over 100 years old and you're only 13. Does it really matter?" Ash blushed, "You're right. You're my wife and I'm your husband. From now on, I've gotta live up to your expectations." Latios chuckled, "Don't forget. You still have us. We are family now and families support each other."

As they flew under the crescent moon, Ash looked over at Bayleef and Pikachu. They were exhausted and were fast asleep. Ash then looked down at his left wrist. "Dear, what is it?" Latias saw Bayleef's silver bracelet with the emerald on top. "You really love her, don't you?" Ash blushed, "Yeah, but you come first. I'm wearing this so I'll always be reminded of her devotion to me. I was so stupid for never noticing how she felt about me." Latias hugged him, "Don't be so sad. She did forgive you, remember?" Ash looked down at the bracelet again, "Yeah...I'll always be with her." Ash and Latias embraced each other. "Where would you like to go on the honeymoon?" Latias yawned, "Let's think about that later. I just want to cherish this moment with you, my love."

**END**

_**Being human is not a requirement of being a person.**_

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**Chapter End Notes: **To be continued in Fight for the Future, Pokémon Advancement, and Pokémon Legends.

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**Next story will be up tomorrow.**


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